T  TEXAS  WITH 
>AVY  CROCKETT 


EVERETT 


GIFT   OF 
JANE  K.SATHER 


Remember  the  Alamo  !     Remember  Goliad  ! 


FrffMtitfiitct. 


IN    TEXAS 
WITH    DAVY  CROCKETT 


A  STORY  OF  THE 
TEXAS  WAR  OF  INDEPENDENCE 


BY 


EVERETT    McNEIL 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  HERMIT  OF  TH^  CULEBRA  MOUNTAINS,' 

"  THE  LOST  TREASURE  CAVE,"  "  THE  BOY 

FORTY-NINERS,"  ETC. 


NEW    YORK 

E.  P.  BUTTON   &   COMPANY 
31  WEST  TWENTY  THIRD  STREET 


I 

V 


COPYRIGHT 

P.  DUTTON  &  CO. 


TO  THE  AMERICAN  YOUTHS, 
WHO  WISH    TO    KNOW    ON   WHAT    FOUNDATIONS    THE    GREATNESS 

OF  THEIR    COUNTRY   IS    BUILDED, 

THIS  STORY  OF  HOW  A  MOST  IMPORTANT  STONE 

IN   THAT    FOUNDATION    WAS    LAID    IS 

ADMIRINGLY  DEDICATED 


281347 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    THE  WOUNDED  PANTHER i 

II.  THE  TALL  MAN  IN  THE  COONSKIN  CAP  ...       8 

III.  THE  GREAT   BEAR-HUNT 26 

IV.  AN  ADVENTURE  WITH  A  MEXICAN   ....     44 
V.    THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  DAGGER 63 

VI.    IN  THE  BIG  CANEBRAKE 74 

VII.    ANDREAS  VASQUEZ 88 

VIII.    A  STRUGGLE  FOR  FREEDOM 107 

IX.    THE  HOOTING  OF  THE  OWLS 124 

X.    How  IT  ALL  HAPPENED 135 

XI.    A  MEXICAN  MOB 155 

XII.  A  GLORIOUS  AMERICAN  TRIUMVIRATE     .     .     .170 

XIII.  THE  BRIGHT  SPOT  OF  SUNLIGHT 182 

XIV.  CROCKETT  CALLS  BIG  IKE'S  BLUFF 189 

XV.    THE  FLIGHT  BY  NIGHT .     .  204 

XVI.  THE  BOOMING  OF  THE  CANNON     .....  218 

XVII.    COLONEL  FANNIN'S  COURIERS 224 

XVIII.    A  GREAT  RIDE  FOR  TEXAS 232 

XIX.    THREE  LETTERS 246 

XX.    "  THE  ALAMO  HAS  FALLEN  !  " 258 

XXI.  THE  MOST  HEROIC  FIGHT  IN  AMERICA      ,.     .  267 

XXII.  CHASED  BY  MEXICAN  CAVALRY   .                .     .  288 


Contents 

CaATTKft  PAGE 

XXIII.  THE  PRICE  OP  OBSTINACY 300 

XXIV.  VASQUEZ  AND  BIG  IKE  AGAIN 326 

XXV.    A  PIECE  OP  WHITE  CLOTH 336 

XXVI.    ONE  PALM  SUNDAY  MORNING 341 

XXVII.    THE  GREAT  ROCK  ON  THE  HILL 351 

XXVIII.  THE  MESSAGE  IN  THE  KNIPE  SHEATH     .     .     .361 

XXIX.    THE  Two  HORSEMEN 369 

XXX.    Two  STRONG  SHARP  AXES 379 

XXXI.  REMEMBER  THE  ALAMO!     ........  389 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

"  Remember  the  Alamo !     Remember  Goliad !  "  .     .     .     .  390 

Frontispiece 
Both  Boys  Sprang  to  Crockett's  Help 39 

Mrs.   McNelly   Thrust    the   Sizzling   Hot   Meat   Into   the 
Mexican's   Face 92 

Now  Don't  Get  Too  Rip-Roarously  Rambunctious  .     .     .   194 

Suddenly  Tom's  Horse  Stumbled  Throwing  the  Boy  Over 
Hit  Head 198 


FOREWORD 

Texas  is  now  one  of  the  greatest  states  of  a  great 
nation ;  but,  at  the  date  when  our  story  begins,  the 
larger  part  of  its  vast  territory  was  almost  an  un- 
broken wilderness,  where  the  Indians  and  the  wild 
animals  roamed  as  freely  as  they  did  when  Colum- 
bus discovered  America.  A  few  hunters  and  trap- 
pers, little  more  civilized  than  the  savages  them- 
selves, and  now  and  then  an  American  or  a 
Mexican  drover,  who  chased  and  captured  for  the 
Louisiana  and  the  San  Antonio  markets  the  wild 
mustang  ponies  that  roamed  in  great  numbers  over 
these  vast  solitudes,  alone  of  white  men  traversed 
this  wild  region ;  and  in  all  that  immensity  of  prai- 
rie and  forest  and  mountain  and  valley  there  was 
not  then  a  permanent  white  habitation. 

The  settled  parts  of  the  country  formed  a  very 
small  portion  of  its  territory.  In  the  interior  were 
the  small  towns  of  San  Antonio,  Gonzales,  Goliad, 
and  a  few  others,  dating  from  the  time  of  the  early 
Spanish  colonization  or  the  missions  of  the  Fran- 
ciscan friars.  Along  the  coast  Galveston,  Brazo- 
ria,  Velasco,  Copano  and  two  or  three  other  small 
towns  afforded  sea  communication  and  landing 
places  for  the  vessels  bringing  supplies  and  settlers 

ix 


x  Foreword 

and  carrying  away  the  produce  of  the  country.  A 
number  of  agricultural  colonies  had  been  founded 
under  grants  of  land  by  the  Mexican  government 
to  empresarios  or  contractors,  notably  those  of  Aus- 
tin, De  Witt,  De  Leon  and  the  Irish  colony  of  Mc- 
Mullin  and  McGloire,  and  these  had  been  occupied 
with  varying  degrees  of  success  and  permanency. 
Altogether  there  was  probably  something  like  25,- 
ooo  whites  then  living  in  Texas,  many  of  whom  had 
come  from  the  United  States  to  settle  in  one  of  the 
agricultural  colonies,  principally  in  that  of  Austin. 

For  a  number  of  years  trouble  had  been  brewing 
between  these  colonies  and  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment, which  the  recent  despotic  actions  of  Santa 
Anna,  then  president  in  name  but  in  reality  dictator 
of  Mexico,  had  caused  to  suddenly  boil  over  into 
open  rebellion  and  had  aroused  the  Anglo-Ameri- 
can manhood  to  the  point  of  armed  resistance. 
Further  acts  of  barbarous  cruelty  and  oppression  on 
the  part  of  the  Mexican  government  had  intensified 
this  feeling  until  the  Texan's  hatred  and  contempt 
for  the  whole  Spanish-Mexican  race  had  become 
impregnated  with  a  bitterness  difficult  for  us  to 
comprehend  at  this  day,  and  found  expression  in 
words  and  deeds  natural  to  those  ruder  times,  but 
now  repugnant  to  our  more  civilized  sensibilities. 

In  the  tale,  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett  and 
Sam  Houston,  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  pic- 
ture, for  the  younger  generations,  as  vividly  and  as 
correctly  as  was  possible,  the  closing  scenes  in  this 


Foreword  xi 

dramatic  conflict  between  the  two  opposing  races 
that  met  in  Texas — possibly  the  most  heroic  period 
in  the  achievements  of  personal  prowess  and  valor 
in  the  history  of  America;  and,  of  necessity,  since 
the  tale  is  written  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  Anglo- 
Americans  then  living  in  Texas,  something  of  the 
bitterness  and  the  contempt  felt  by  the  Texans  for 
the  Mexicans  has  found  expression  through  the 
characters  in  the  story.  They  would  not  have  been 
true  to  life  had  they  been  otherwise.  But  the 
younger  readers  are  cautioned  to  remember,  when 
considering  the  parts  played  by  Santa  Anna  and 
the  other  Mexicans  in  the  story,  that  the  Mexico  of 
1836  and  the  Mexico  of  to-day  differ  almost  as  day 
differs  from  night,  that  Porfirio  Diaz,  the  president 
of  regenerated  Mexico  and  one  of  the  greatest  men 
America  has  produced,  no  more  could  have  com- 
mitted or  sanctioned  the  crimes  and  cruelties  com- 
mitted or  sanctioned  by  Santa  Anna,  one  of  the 
greatest  scoundrels  that  ever  won  high  position  in 
any  country,  than  our  own  revered  Washington  or 
Lincoln  could  have  committed  or  sanctioned  similar 
crimes  and  cruelties.  Mexico  to-day  is  a  great  na- 
tion, and  has  been  wisely  governed  for  many  years 
by  a  great  man. 

The  characters  of  Sam  Houston  and  Davy 
Crockett  are  unique  in  history.  In  all  time  and  in 
all  the  world  there  has  been  but  one  Sam  Houston, 
but  one  Davy  Crockett.  They  were  the  products 
of  environments  that  can  never  be  repeated.  In 


xii  Foreword 

the  present  tale  the  characters  of  these  two  remark- 
able men  have  been  as  correctly  portrayed  as  a 
careful  study  of  their  biographies  and  the  history 
of  the  period  and  the  abilities  of  the  author  would 
permit;  and  it  is  hoped  that  their  sturdy  honesty 
and  sincerity,  their  undaunted  patriotism  and  heroic 
devotion  to  what  they  thought  to  be  the  right 
will  appeal  with  inspiring  force  to  all  boy 
readers,  and  help  them  to  understand  that  these 
are  the  really  worthy  qualities  in  all  great  char- 
acters. 

But,  after  all,  fiction  can  never  take  the  place  of 
history  and  biography,  and  the  author  most  earn- 
estly suggests  that  his  young  readers  supplement 
the  reading  of  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett  and 
Sam  Houston  by  perusing  a  good  history  of  Texas 
and  the  biographies  of  Sam  Houston  and  Davy 
Crockett  in  order  to  get  a  clearer  idea  than  it  was 
possible  to  give  in  the  tale  itself  of  the  historical  set- 
tings of  the  story  and  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
lives  of  its  two  leading  historical  characters,  and  to 
acquire  something  like  a  right  understanding  of  one 
of  the  most  important  epochs  in  the  wonderful 
growth  of  our  country,  the  epoch  that  gave  to  the 
United  States  and  to  its  civilization  the  vast  domain 
of  what  is  now  the  great  State  of  Texas. 


In   Texas  With   Davy  Crockett 
and   Sam   Houston 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   WOUNDED   PANTHER 

IN  1836  the  canebrakes  of  Texas  had  not  yet  felt 
the  sharp  pruning-knif e  of  civilization  and  grew 
in  the  rankest  profusion  along  the  low-lying  allu- 
vial banks  of  its  southeastern  streams  of  water. 
The  tall  slender  canes,  the  kind  boys  use  as  fishing- 
poles,  stood  twenty-five  and  more  feet  high  and  so 
close  together  that  the  wandering  white  man  or  In- 
dian was  obliged  to  cut  his  way  through  them  with 
his  knife,  unless  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a 
runway  made  by  the  deers  and  bears  and  other 
large  wild  beasts  in  their  daily  journey  ings  to  and 
from  water.  Above  these  narrow  passageways, 
which  were  usually  not  more  than  three  or  four  feet 
wide,  the  long  thin  stems  of  the  canes,  having  no 
support  where  the  path  had  been  worn  or  cut  away, 
drooped  a  little  inward  from  each  side,  and,  meeting 
at  the  top,  formed  a  beautiful  and  curious  canopy, 
beneath  which  man  and  beast  might  walk  effectually 
shielded  from  the  hot  rays  of  the  Texan  sun. 

On  the  afternoon  of  a  warm  day  in  January, 

I 


:?  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

1836,  from  out  the  opening  of  such  a  passageway 
running  through  a  heavy  canebrake  that  covered 
the  narrow  valley  of  one  of  the  small  streams  of 
water  which  flow  into  the  lower  Brazos  in  south- 
eastern Texas,  a  large  panther  suddenly  leaped,  and 
ran  swiftly  towards  the  woods  crowning  the  low 
ridge  of  hills  that  separated  the  valley  from  the 
higher  ground  beyond.  The  panther  was  evidently 
wounded  and  fleeing  from  enemies ;  for  a  blotch  of 
red  showed  on  one  side  of  his  tawny  coat,  and,  as 
he  ran,  he  turned  his  head  frequently  to  glance 
backward,  as  if  fearful  of  pursuit.  At  the  edge  of 
the  woods  he  paused  to  lick  the  wound ;  but,  at  the 
sound  of  the  baying  of  hounds  coming  from  the 
depths  of  the  canebrake,  he  lifted  his  head  from  the 
wound,  glared  angrily  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
and,  with  an  ugly  snarl,  bounded  into  the  woods 
and  vanished. 

The  baying  of  the  hounds  came  swiftly  nearer 
and  nearer;  and,  not  three  minutes  after  the  pan- 
ther had  disappeared  in  the  woods,  a  large  grayish- 
yellow  dog,  followed  by  two  others,  rushed  out 
from  the  arched  opening  in  the  canebrake,  and,  rac- 
ing furiously  up  the  hill,  disappeared  in  the  woods 
at  the  spot  where  the  wounded  panther  had  van- 
ished. 

Five  minutes  later  two  boys,  carrying  long  rifles 
and  stooping  slightly  as  they  ran,  dashed  out  of  the 
opening  in  the  canebrake  and  hurried  up  the  hill, 
their  eyes  glancing  swiftly  to  the  front  and  about 


The  Wounded  Panther  3 

them  as  they  came  out  of  the  cane,  and  then  falling 
quickly  to  the  trail  of  the  panther  and  the  dogs  at 
their  feet.  When  they  reached  the  little  clot  of 
blood  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  that  had  fallen 
where  the  panther  had  paused  to  lick  his  wound, 
both  boys  stopped,  and,  bending  closely  to  the 
ground,  examined  the  blood  carefully. 

"He's  hard  hit,  Tom !"  cried  the  larger  of  the  two 
boys  exultantly,  as  he  straightened  up  from  the 
ground.  "Bing  and  the  other  dogs  will  sure  tree 
him  inside  of  a  couple  of  miles —  There,"  and  he 
started  excitedly,  as  a  distant  burst  of  yelps  and 
barks  from  the  dogs  reached  his  ears,  "they've  got 
him  now!  That's  Bing's  voice  yelling  'Treed! 
Treed ! '  as  plainly  as  if  he  were  talking  United 
States.  Come  on!  We've  got  the  vermint  this 
time  sure!"  and,  gripping  his  rifle  tightly,  the  ex- 
cited boy  sprang  away  into  the  woods,  followed  by 
his  equally  excited  companion. 

For  a  mile  the  two  boys  ran  in  the  direction  of 
the  barking  dogs,  as  swiftly  as  their  legs  could  take 
them  through  the  underbrush  and  over  the  logs  of 
fallen  trees  that  obstructed  their  way;  then,  as  the 
sounds  coming  from  the  dogs  warned  them  that 
they  were  nearing  the  spot  where  the  panther  had 
been  brought  to  bay,  they  stopped  running  and  be- 
gan a  more  cautious  advance. 

"I — I  want  the  first  shot,  Trav,"  panted  the 
younger  of  the  two  boys,  pushing  himself  to  the 
front,  as  they  crept,  silent  as  two  Indians,  through 


4  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  underbrush  that  here  grew  so  thickly  that  it  pre- 
vented their  seeing  only  a  few  yards  ahead.  "I 
want  to  revenge  Whiteface,  my  own  little  red  heifer 
that  the  old  scoundrel  killed  night  before  last.  I 
brought  her  up  by  hand,  and  she  would  follow  me 
around  like  a  dog.  I  want  to  be  the  one  to  kill  the 
brute  that  killed  her.  I  want  the  first  shot,  Trav," 
and  his  lips  closed  firmly,  while  the  glint  in  his  dark 
eyes  deepened. 

"All  right,"  answered  Travis.  "But  be  mighty 
careful  to  kill  the  critter.  A  wounded  painter's 
worse  than  a  barrelful  of  bobcats,  and  this  one's 
specially  big  and  ugly —  Careful,  Tom !  There's 
the  dogs !"  and  he  caught  hold  of  his  comrade's  arm 
and  pointed  with  his  rifle  barrel  through  an  open- 
ing in  the  underbrush  to  where  the  three  dogs 
could  be  seen  jumping  up  and  down  excitedly  and 
barking  furiously  underneath  a  huge  cottonwood 
tree  a  hundred  yards  away. 

For  two  or  three  minutes  the  boys'  eyes  searched 
the  tree  in  vain  for  the  panther.  Then  they  saw 
the  ferocious  beast  lying  along  a  large  branch  of  the 
cottonwood,  close  to  the  trunk,  his  eyes  glaring 
down  at  the  barking  dogs  beneath  him,  his  ears 
lying  flat  against  his  head,  his  hair  bristling  along 
his  back,  and  his  tail  thumping  the  limb  of  the  tree. 

"My,  but  he  looks  ugly,  don't  he?"  whispered 
Travis.  "We'd  better  get  as  close  as  we  can  before 
you  shoot.  Twon't  do  to  risk  a  long  shot  on  that 
beast,  and  I'll  stand  ready  to  give  him  another  ball, 


The  Wounded  Panther  5 

if  yours  don't  finish  him.  Hope  he  won't  kill  any 
of  the  dogs.  He's  glaring  down  on  them  now  as  if 
he  wanted  to  jump." 

"My  ball  will  kill  him,  if  it  is  as  full  of  mad  as  I 
am,"  Tom  answered  vindictively,  as  he  cocked  his 
rifle  and  poured  a  little  fresh  priming  into  the  pan. 
"Every  time  I  think  of  Whiteface  I  feel  like  shoot- 
ing every  painter  in  North  America.  The  brute 
must  have  torn  her  terribly  before  he  killed  her. 
Poor  Whiteface!  Well,  you  old  sinner,  you  will 
never  kill  another  cow,  if  I  can  get  a  ball  into  you !" 
and,  holding  his  rifle  ready  for  instant  use  and  keep- 
ing an  eye  on  the  panther,  Tom  began  slowly  and 
with  the  utmost  caution  working  his  way  through 
the  brush  toward  the  animal  crouching  on  the  limb 
of  the  cottonwood.  Travis  followed  close  behind 
him,  making  as  little  noise  as  possible;  for  both 
were  fearful  that,  should  the  panther  see  them,  he 
would  leap  down  from  the  tree  and  make  off  before 
they  could  get  a  shot  at  him. 

Both  boys  had  been  born  almost  with  a  rifle  in 
their  hands,  and  had  lived  all  their  lives  surrounded 
by  the  savage  men  and  beasts  of  the  wilderness,  and 
thought  little  of  running  down  a  bear  or  panther 
and  shooting  him.  They  knew  that  men  were 
sometimes  killed  by  bears  and  panthers  when 
wounded  or  cornered;  but  that  was  to  be  expected, 
and  was  accepted  as  a  part  of  the  dangers  all  must 
risk  in  the  rough  life  they  were  living;  and  they 
did  not  think  of  their  present  peril,  as  they  crept 


6  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

cautiously  toward  the  panther,  as  being  anything 
out  of  the  ordinary  course  of  their  lives. 

The  panther  was  too  busy  watching  and  listening 
to  the  dogs  to  notice  the  approach  of  the  boys,  until 
they  were  almost  under  the  tree.  Then,  as  a  dry 
twig  snapped  beneath  the  foot  of  one  of  them,  he 
suddenly  lifted  his  head,  caught  sight  of  the  two 
lads,  and,  with  a  savage  snarl,  crouched  closer  to 
the  limb  and  began  switching  his  tail  violently,  a 
sure  sign  that  his  rage  was  getting  the  better  of  his 
discretion  and  that  he  might  be  expected  to  spring 
at  any  moment. 

Tom  instantly  threw  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder, 
and,  taking  a  quick  aim  at  the  tawny  side  just  be- 
hind the  fore-shoulder,  he  pulled  the  trigger. 

Almost  at  the  instant  the  report  sounded  the 
panther  leaped  straight  toward  the  two  boys.  The 
distance  was  too  great  for  him  to  reach  them  in  one 
spring,  and,  before  he  could  make  the  second  jump, 
the  dogs  were  upon  him. 

Travis,  in  the  intense  excitement  of  the  mo- 
ment, had  fired,  vainly  and  foolishly,  while  the 
ferocious  beast  was  in  the  air;  and  now  both  boys 
stood  with  empty  rifles  in  their  hands,  weaponless, 
save  for  the  sharp  hunting-knives  in  their  belts  and 
the  heavy  barrels  of  their  rifles,  which  might  be  used 
as  clubs  in  an  encounter  at  close  quarters.  But 
neither  lad  thought  of  running.  Indeed,  running 
would  have  been  the  most  dangerous  thing  they 
could  have  done ;  for  the  panther  could  have  caught 


The  Wounded  Panther  7 

them,  if  he  wished,  in  a  few  bounds,  and  their  backs 
would  have  been  defenseless.  No  one  can  fight  with 
his  back  to  his  foe.  We  can  only  defend  ourselves 
when  we  are  facing  the  enemy. 

For  a  minute  there  was  a  mad  whirl  of  snarling 
panther  and  growling,  yelping  dogs ;  and  then,  with 
bloodshot  eyes  and  bared  fangs,  the  panther  leaped 
free  of  the  dogs,  leaving  one  of  them  lifeless  and  the 
other  two  with  all  the  fight  whipped  out  of  them  for 
the  moment,  and  crouched,  not  ten  yards  from  where 
the  two  boys  stood,  with  hunting-knives  in  their 
right  hands,  ready  to  meet  the  spring  of  the  ugly 
beast.  Nor  did  they  have  long  to  wait,  for,  with  a 
scream  of  fury,  the  panther  rose  suddenly  into  the 
air.  But  the  distance  was  still  too  great,  and  the 
great  brute  struck  the  ground  ten  feet  in  front  of 
the  boys.  Again  he  crouched,  and  for  a  brief  in- 
stant lay  motionless,  his  furious  eyes  glaring  up 
into  the  faces  of  the  boys;  and  in  that  fateful  in- 
stant of  quietude,  there  came  the  sharp  crack  of  a 
rifle  from  immediately  behind  Tom  and  Travis ;  and, 
without  a  sound,  the  panther  leaped  straight  up  into 
the  air,  and  fell  dead  at  their  feet,  a  rifle  ball 
through  his  brain. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  TALL  MAN   IN  THE  COONSKIN  CAP 

"AX71SH  I  may  be  shot,  if  this  ain't  Trav  Mc- 
*  *  Nelly !  Well,  I'm  mighty  glad  to  see  you, 
boy,"  and  a  tall,  large-boned  muscular  man,  dressed 
in  deerskin  and  homespun,  and  wearing  a  coon- 
skin  cap  with  the  tail  hanging  down  behind,  and 
carrying  a  splendid  long-barreled  rifle,  caught  hold 
of  the  astonished  boy's  hand  and  shook  it  heartily. 
"Well,  well,  I'm  'bout  as  surprised  as  the  fellow  was 
when  he  met  his  mother-in-law  in  heaven,  and  a 
mighty  sight  more  pleased.  Say,  but  you  have 
growed  like  a  young  steer,"  and  the  shrewd  eyes 
surveyed  the  tall,  well-built,  muscular  youth  with 
evident  approval.  "Why,  I  took  you  for  a  full 
growed  man  at  first,  hope  I  may  be  shot  if  I  didn't." 
"And  I  was  never  more  pleased  to  see  anyone  in 
my  life  than  I  was  to  see  you,"  and  Travis  glanced 
significantly  toward  the  dead  panther,  while  his 
whole  face  shone  with  the  surprise  and  pleasure 
the  sudden  appearance  of  the  tall  stranger  had 
given  him.  "You  needed  but  one  shot  to  kill  the 
brute,  Davy!" 

8 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap          9 

"I  reckon  Betsey  did  do  the  business  for  that 
painter  in  one  crack.  Betsey  don't  usually  have  to 
speak  twice/'  and  the  eyes  of  the  stranger  rested 
admiringly  on  his  long-barreled  rifle,  while  he 
kicked  the  limp  body  of  the  dead  panther  contemp- 
tuously. "But,  in  the  name  of  all  that's  wonderful, 
what  are  you  doing  down  here?  The  last  I  knowed 
of  you,  you  was  scratching  for  a  living  among  the 
bears  and  coons  of  Tennessee." 

"Why,  dad  moved  down  here  more'n  a  year  ago. 
You  see —  Oh,  I  forgot  that  you  don't  know  my 
friend,"  and  Travis  turned  to  Tom.  "This  is  Tom 
Gifford,  our  nearest  neighbor's  boy,  and  the  best 
chum  a  boy  ever  had.  His  folks  moved  'long  with 
my  folks  from  Tennessee.  And  this,"  and  the  boy's 
face  lighted  with  pride  and  pleasure,  as  his  eyes 
turned  to  the  tall  stranger  in  the  coonskin  cap. 
"This,  Tom,  is  Davy  Crockett,  Colonel  Davy 
Crockett  of  Tennessee,  the  greatest  bear-hunter  in 
the  United  States." 

"Cut  the  handle  out,  Trav,"  laughed  Crockett, 
for  our  tall  friend  was  none  other  than  that  famous 
backwoodsman  bear-hunter  and  statesman,  as  he 
grasped  Tom  Gifford's  hand.  "Plain  Davy 
Crockett  is  good  enough  for  me,  though  I  don't 
mind  that  bear-hunter  attachment,  for  I  reckon  I 
have  killed  more  bears  for  my  weight  and  age  than 
any  other  man  in  the  United  States.  Well,  I'm 
mighty  glad  to  know  you,  Tom.  Any  fellow  that 
Trav  McNelly  calls  his  chum  can  count  on  Davy 


io  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Crockett  as  long  as  there's  a  grain  of  powder  left 
in  his  horn  or  a  coonskin  on  a  coon,"  and  a  genial 
smile  lighted  his  sun-bronzed  face. 

Tom's  eyes  had  grown  big  and  wide  with  ad- 
miring wonder,  when  he  learned  who  his  chum's 
tall  friend  was ;  for,  at  that  time,  the  name  and  fame 
of  Davy  Crockett,  bear-hunter  and  ex-congress- 
man, rough  backwoodsman  though  he  was,  was 
known  to  nearly  every  boy  in  the  United  States, 
and  was  the  especial  glory  of  all  Tennessee  boys, 
and  Tom  still  considered  himself  a  Tennessee  boy, 
although  now  living  in  Texas,  then  a  part  of  Mex- 
ico. And  now  this  hero,  magnified  by  a  boy's  vivid 
imagination  and  the  oft-sung  praises  of  his  chum, 
was  standing  before  him,  was  actually  shaking  his 
hand!  The  glory  and  honor  of  it  all  was  almost 
too  much  for  Tom's  composure ;  and  he  flushed  and 
stammered,  but  he  made  up  abundantly  in  the 
warmth  of  his  handshake  and  the  look  of  pleasure 
on  his  face  what  his  words  lacked  in  their  welcome 
to  the  great  bear-hunter. 

"You  will  go  home  with  me,  won't  you?"  and 
Travis  looked  eagerly  into  Colonel  Crockett's  face. 
"Father  and  mother  and  the  rest  will  be  powerful 
glad  to  see  you.  Dad  was  saying  only  last  night 
that  he  wished  Davy  Crockett  was  here  to  help  us 
lick  Mexico.  You  will  come  home  with  me,  won't 
you,  Davy?  Father  and  mother  and  Kitty  will  be 
tickled  'most  to  death  to  see  you.  We  live  only 
about  a  couple  of  miles  from  here." 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        II 

"Go  home  with  you  ?  Well,  I  reckon  I  will,  and 
be  mighty  glad  of  the  chance.  I  don't  know  any- 
body I'd  rather  see  just  now  than  Sam  McNelly, 
and  Mother  Jane,  and  Kitty-Cat — pretty  little 
Kitty-Cat,"  and  the  colonel's  face  softened.  "She 
was  about  the  prettiest  bit  of  baby-girl  flesh  and 
blood  I  ever  saw,  and  as  pert  and  quick  as  a  hum- 
ming-bird. But,  I  reckon  she's  'most  a  young  lady 
now  and  like  as  not  forgot  her  old  sweetheart, 
Crockett.  Great  bobcats,  how  she  used  to  pull  my 
hair !"  and  he  laughed  loudly.  "Hope  she's  got  her 
pull  under  better  regulation  now." 

"I  don't  know  about  her  pull  being  under  better 
regulation,"  and  Travis  smiled,  as  he  thought  of 
the  jerk  her  quick  fingers  had  given  his  hair  only 
that  morning,  when  his  brotherly  teasing  had 
passed  beyond  the  limits  of  her  sisterly  patience; 
"but  I  do  know  Kitty  hasn't  forgotten  Davy 
Crockett,  and  that  she'll  be  powerful  glad  to  see 
you." 

"And  I'll  be  mighty  glad  to  see  her,  and  Sam 
and  Mother  Jane,"  Crockett  responded.  "Why,  it's 
like  a  dead-hungry  man  coming  sudden  and  unex- 
pected upon  a  roasting  hunk  of  venison,  my  finding 
you  folks  here,  when  I'm  nigh  about  starving  for 
the  sight  of  a  friend's  face.  Seems  like  I've  been 
away  from  Tennessee  for  years.  But,  let's  get  the 
hide  off  that  critter  in  a  hustle.  My  fist  is  fairly 
aching  for  the  feel  of  Sam  McNelly's  handshake. 
Sam  was  always  powerful  on  the  shake,"  and, 


12  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

drawing  his  hunting-knife  from  its  sheath,  his  skill- 
ful hands  soon  had  the  skin  off  the  panther. 

In  the  meantime  Tom  and  Travis  examined  the 
dogs.  The  panther  had  killed  one;  but  Bing,  a 
large  grayish-yellow  mongrel  hound,  and  the  other 
dog,  fortunately  had  escaped  with  only  a  few 
scratches.  Bing  was  the  personal  property  of 
Travis  and  a  famous  hunting  dog,  consequently 
the  lad's  joy  over  his  escape  from  serious  hurt  tem- 
pered his  sorrow  over  the  loss  of  the  other.  The 
two  boys  quickly  scooped  out  a  shallow  grave  with 
their  hunting-knives,  buried  the  dead  dog;  and  then 
Travis,  throwing  the  heavy  skin  of  the  panther  over 
his  shoulder,  proudly  led  the  way  home.  It  was 
not  every  day  that  a  boy  could  bring  home  the  hide 
of  a  panther  and  a  famous  guest  like  Colonel  Davy 
Crockett,  and,  consequently,  he  was  greatly  elated 
over  his  present  good  fortune. 

The  way  to  the  house  ran  through  the  canebrake, 
across  a  small  creek,  and  up  the  wooded  ridge  on 
the  opposite  side  to  a  little  opening  in  the  woods, 
on  the  edge  of  a  prairie  of  many  hundreds  of  acres 
in  extent.  Here  stood  the  humble  log  cabin  of 
Samuel  McNelly ;  and  a  couple  of  miles  to  the  east- 
ward, crowning  a  small  hill,  was  the  equally  humble 
home  of  his  nearest  neighbor,  Jonas  Gifford,  the 
father  of  Tom.  A  small  log  barn,  with  a  rail  fence 
enclosing  an  acre  or  so  of  land  for  a  pig  pasture 
behind  it,  were  the  only  other  signs  that  man  had 
here  begun  his  conquest  of  the  wilderness. 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        13 

When  Travis,  with  his  two  companions,  came 
within  hailing  distance  of  the  little  cabin,  he  placed 
both  hands  to  his  mouth  and  uttered  a  series  of 
loud  halloos ;  and,  almost  instantly  in  response  to  the 
call,  the  door  of  the  cabin  was  thrown  open,  and  a 
young  girl,  tall  and  slender  and  as  graceful  as  a 
deer,  bounded  out,  and,  with  uncovered  head  and 
hair  flying  out  behind  like  a  silken  banner,  raced 
toward  them. 

"Did  you  get  the  painter?  Did  you  kill  the 
painter?"  she  cried,  as  she  ran;  and,  when  for  an 
answer,  Travis  swung  the  panther's  skin  around 
his  head,  she  gave  a  glad  shout  of  triumph,  and  in 
a  minute  more  was  standing,  panting  and  with 
flushed  cheeks,  by  his  side,  staring,  abashed  and 
frightened,  for  strangers  came  rarely  to  her  hum- 
ble home,  into  the  face  of  the  tall  man  in  the  coon- 
skin  cap,  who  had  just  stepped  out  from  behind 
Tom.  But  in  a  moment  her  face  lighted.  "Why 
— why,  it's  Davy  Crockett !"  and,  with  a  rush,  her 
arms  were  around  his  neck. 

"Scratching  wildcats,  and  is  this  my  little  Kitty- 
Cat,  this  big  handsome  girl?"  and  he  held  her  off 
at  arm's  length,  while  he  looked  into  her  flushed, 
excited  face.  "And  you  knowed  me,  knowed  me 
right  off,"  he  repeated  delightedly.  "And  you  was 
but  a  little  mite  of  a  thing,  'bout  chin  high  to  a 
hop-toad,  when  you  kissed  me  good-by  way  back  in 
Tennessee,  nigh  on  to  five  years  ago ;  and  now,  why 
I  wouldn't  have  knowed  you  at  all,  if  it  wasn't  for 


14  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

that  pretty  little  dimple  in  that  pretty  little  cheek 
that  looks  so  sweet  that  I  sure  must — "  But  here 
the  excited  girl  broke  from  his  arms. 

"I  must  tell  dad  and  mother!"  she  cried.  "I 
must  tell  dad  and  mother  that  Davy  Crockett,  Davy 
Crockett  from  Tennessee,  has  come!  They'll  be 
powerful  surprised  and  pleased,"  and  she  whirled 
about  and  ran  at  full  speed  back  to  the  house. 

A  moment  after  she  disappeared  in  the  cabin,  a 
great  giant  of  a  man,  followed  by  a  woman,  rushed 
out  of  the  door,  and  both  shouted  joyous  greetings 
to  Colonel  Crockett;  and,  when  he  came  close 
enough,  gripped  him  by  the  hand  and  made  him 
welcome  with  a  whole-hearted  hospitality  that  left 
no  doubt  of  the  genuineness  of  his  welcome.  This 
was  Samuel  McNelly  and  his  wife,  Mother  Jane,  as 
Crockett  called  her,  the  father  and  mother  of 
Travis  and  Katherine,  or  Kitty,  as  she  was  better 
known. 

"Now,  come  right  in  and  sit  down  to  the  table," 
Mrs.  McNelly  insisted,  as  soon  as  the  greetings 
were  over.  "We  had  just  set  down  to  supper  when 
we  heard  Trav's  halloo.  Twon't  take  me  a  minute 
to  get  things  ready.  Come  right  in,"  and  she 
threw  the  door  hospitably  open. 

The  house  into  which  our  good  friends,  thus 
cordially  urged,  entered  was  extremely  rude  and 
primitive  in  its  architecture  and  furnishing;  and, 
as  a  type  of  the  homes  of  the  hardy  pioneers  who 
made  possible  the  building  of  our  great  nation — 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap         15 

homes  deserving  of  our  most  affectionate  remem- 
brances, because  of  the  great  and  sturdy  men  they 
nurtured — it  is  worthy  of  the  sympathetic  interest 
of  every  boy  and  girl  who  would  know  how  those 
strong-hearted  men  and  women  and  children,  who 
hewed  the  nation  out  of  the  wilderness,  lived. 

The  walls  of  the  cabin,  house  is  almost  too  digni- 
fied a  name  for  such  a  primitive  structure,  were 
about  ten  feet  high  and  built  out  of  the  straight 
trunks  of  trees,  which  Sam  McNelly  had  felled  in 
the  nearby  woods,  cut  into  logs  of  the  right  length, 
and  laid,  one  on  top  of  another,  around  a  space 
twenty  feet  by  thirty  feet,  already  marked  out  and 
smoothed  down  for  the  house-site.  The  logs  were 
held  in  place  by  notches  cut  in  their  ends,  in  such  a 
way  that  the  end  of  one  log  fitted  into  the  end  of  an- 
other log  at  the  four  corners  of  the  cabin.  The 
roof  was  supported  by  rafters  cut  from  smaller 
trees,  and  rendered  water-tight  by  a  rude  covering 
of  rough  shingles,  made  by  splitting  straight- 
grained  logs  about  four  feet  long.  An  opening 
three  feet  wide  and  seven  feet  high,  cut  or  sawed 
through  the  logs  on  one  side,  formed  the  door, 
which  was  firmly  secured  by  upright  pieces  of  tim- 
ber pinned  to  the  ends  of  the  logs,  and  very  strongly 
made.  A  large  fireplace,  built  of  stone,  nearly 
filled  the  side  of  one  end  of  the  cabin.  The  chimney 
was  outside,  and  made  of  small  logs  of  wood  lined 
with  mud  or  clay.  A  couple  of  openings  two  feet 
square  answered  for  windows,  while  a  series  of 


1 6  •         In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

loopholes,  running  around  the  walls  about  six  feet 
above  the  floor,  showed  that  the  cabin  could  be 
quickly  transformed  into  a  fort,  if  there  were  need 
to  repel  an  Indian  attack.  A  rough  floor  labo- 
riously made  by  hewing  boards  out  of  the  trunks  of 
trees  with  an  axe,  protected  the  feet  from  the  cold 
and  the  damp  of  the  ground. 

The  furnishings  of  the  little  home  were  equally 
rude  and  primitive.  The  halves  of  a  split  log 
firmly  fastened  together  side  by  side,  split  side  up, 
and  supported  by  sticks  driven  into  auger  holes, 
formed  a  rude  but  exceedingly  strong  and  durable 
table.  Three-legged  stools  and  short  chunks  of 
logs  answered  for  chairs.  Wooden  pins,  driven 
into  holes  bored  in  the  logs,  supported  shelves  on 
each  side  of  the  fireplace,  where  Mrs.  McNelly  kept 
her  few  valued  dishes  and  cooking  utensils. 
Other  pins  performed  the  duties  of  clothes-hooks, 
and  held  various  odds  and  ends  belonging  to  the 
household.  There  were  no  china  dishes;  but 
wooden  plates,  horn  spoons,  gourd  cups  and  dippers, 
and  a  few  pewter  and  iron  articles  supplied  their 
simple  needs. 

A  curtain,  made  of  homespun  cloth,  hung-  across 
one  end  of  the  room,  and  partitioned  off  a  small  bed- 
room, sacred  to  the  use  of  Kitty.  The  beds  them- 
selves were  rude  homemade  affairs,  but  rendered 
soft  and  warm  by  the  skins  and  furs  of  the  wild  ani- 
mals shot  by  Trav  and  his  father.  In  one  corner 
of  the  large  room  stood  the  spinning-wheel  and 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        17 

loom  on  which  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  spun  and 
wove  all  the  yarn  and  cloth  used  for  any  purpose. 
Indeed,  in  this  humble  pioneer  home  there  was 
scarcely  an  article,  whether  for  use  or  adornment, 
that  was  not  fashioned  by  the  hands  of  some  one  of 
the  household. 

No  wonder  this  manner  of  life  bred  independent, 
fearless,  resourceful  men  and  women,  for,  from 
early  childhood,  they  were  brought  up  to  depend 
almost  entirely  on  their  own  exertions  for  every 
necessity  and  comfort  they  possessed.  A  rifle  and 
an  axe,  a  spinning-wheel  and  a  loom  were  all  that 
any  man  and  woman  needed  to  begin  and  maintain 
a  home.  The  axe  built  and  furnished  the  house,  the 
rifle  provisioned  and  defended  it,  and  the  spinning- 
wheel  and  the  loom  clothed  its  inmates.  Some  day 
someone  will  write  the  epic  of  the  American  rifle 
and  sing  the  song  of  the  axe  and  the  spinning-wheel 
and  the  loom. 

Such  was  the  rude  dwelling-place  of  Samuel 
McNelly ;  but,  as  President  Garfield  once  said,  a  log 
in  the  woods  with  Mark  Hopkins  on  one  end  and  a 
student  on  the  other  had  all  the  essential  elements 
of  a  college,  so  the  rudest  of  log  cabins,  with  Jane 
McNelly,  Mother  Jane,  in  it,  was  a  home  in  all  the 
blessed  essentials  dear  to  husband  and  children  and 
guests. 

The  moment  Davy  Crockett  and  the  two  boys 
were  in  the  house,  Mrs.  McNelly  pushed  three  more 
of  the  rude  chairs  up  to  the  table,  placed  wooden 


1 8  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

plates  and  iron  knives  and  forks  in  front  of  them, 
and  moved  a  great  platter  of  roasted  bear-meat 
within  convenient  reach  of  the  three  chairs. 

"There,  just  sit  right  down  and  help  yourselves 
to  the  meat,"  and  Mother  Jane  motioned  hospitably 
to  the  three  chairs.  "I'll  have  some  hot  johnny- 
cake  and  honey  ready  for  you  in  a  jiffy.  I  remem- 
ber, Davy,  that  you  are  powerful  fond  of  hot  john- 
ny-cake and  honey  with  plenty  of  butter,"  and  she 
hurried  to  the  glowing  fireplace. 

"That's  where  your  memory  strikes  the  center  of 
the  bull's-eye,"  Crockett  laughed  in  his  big  jovial 
voice,  as  he  seated  himself  in  one  of  the  chairs. 
"Just  the  mention  of  it  has  set  my  mouth  to  water- 
ing like  a  spring  freshet.  Well,"  and  he  glanced 
to  where  Sam  McNelly  had  seated  himself  at  the 
other  side  of  the  table,  "it  seems  mighty  good,  Sam, 
to  see  your  big  mouth  grinning  at  me  again  across 
the  table.  But,  who'd  thought  of  finding  Sam 
McNelly  down  here  among  the  alligators  and  cane- 
brakes  of  Texas  ?" 

"  Tain't  as  queer  as  it  is  to  find  Colonel  Congress- 
man Davy  Crockett  a-wandering  around  among 
them  same  alligators  and  canebrakes,"  the  big 
mouth  grinned  back.  "Didn't  suppose  a  forty- 
horse  mule  team  could  pull  you  away  from  your 
Tennessee  constituents,"  and  the  clear  blue  eyes  of 
the  big  pioneer  searched  the  face  of  his  guest 
shrewdly. 

"My  Tennessee  constituents!"  and,  for  a  moment, 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        19 

a  shadow  darkened  Crockett's  smiling  face  and  his 
eyes  lighted  indignantly.  "They  wanted  to  lock  a 
Jackson  collar  around  my  neck  and  label  it  'Andrew 
Jackson,  his  dog';  but  I  told  them  that  I  would  go 
back  to  Washington  unlabeled  and  with  no  man's 
collar  around  my  neck,  or  I  wouldn't  go  back  at 
all;  that  I  was  willing  to  go  with  General  Jackson 
in  everything  that  I  believed  was  honest  and  right, 
but,  further  than  that,  I  wouldn't  go  for  him  or  any 
other  man  in  the  whole  creation;  that  I  would  a 
mighty  sight  sooner  be  honestly  and  politically  dead, 
than  hypocritically  immortalized;  and,  well,  when 
election  was  over,  I  discovered  that  they  did  not 
want  me  without  the  collar,  so  I  told  them  they 
might  go  to  Halifax  and  I  would  go  to  Texas ;  and 
here  I  am,"  and  the  smiling  good-humor  came  back 
into  his  face. 

"Bully  for  you,  Davy!"  and  the  big  fist  of  the 
giant  came  down  on  the  table  with  a  bang  that  made 
the  plates  jump.  "  'Be  sure  you  are  right,  then  go 
ahead,'  that's  Davy  Crockett  every  time.  Well,  I 
reckon  if  Tennessee  can't  use  men  like  you,  Davy, 
Texas  can,  and  be  mighty  glad  of  the  chance. 
You've  come  just  in  time  to  help  us  lick  Santa  Anna 
and  his  Mexicans  out  of  their  boots ;  and  we'll  do  it, 
too,"  and  his  eyes  lighted  and  his  face  hardened. 
"Think,  Davy,  that  despot,  Santa  Anna,  has  or- 
dered us  to  give  up  our  rifles,  our  rifles!"  he  re- 
peated, his  eyes  flashing  angrily.  "And  to  Greas- 
ers! How  could  we  get  meat  for  our  wives  and 


2O  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

children,  if  we  had  no  rifles  to  shoot  it  ?  How  could 
we  defend  ourselves  and  families  from  the  wild 
beasts,  and  the  Indians,  and  the  cut-throats,  white 
and  black,  without  rifles  ?  Give  up  our  rifles !  Let 
the  Mexicans  come  and  try  to  take  them,  and  we 
will  show  them  what  brave  men  will  do  when  or- 
dered to  give  up  their  only  means  of  defending 
themselves  and  families  in  this  wild,  lawless  coun- 
try/' and  down  again  came  the  great  fist  on  the 
table  with  a  force  that  made  the  plates  jump  a  foot 
in  the  air. 

By  all  of  which  it  may  be  seen  how  thoroughly  the 
recent  decree  of  Santa  Anna  reducing  the  militia 
in  Texas  to  one  for  every  five  hundred  inhabitants, 
and  ordering  all  others  to  surrender  their  arms,  had 
aroused  the  Texans ;  for,  as  Sam  McNelly  thought, 
so  thought  all  Texans.  Indeed,  had  it  been  possi- 
ble to  have  enforced  this  cruel  decree,  it  would  have 
left  all  Texas  virtually  at  the  mercy  of  marauding 
Indians  and  white  desperadoes,  and  robbed  many  a 
family  of  its  daily  means  of  existence.  But,  not 
all  Mexico  could  have  enforced  that  order,  except 
over  the  dead  body  of  Texas.  Give  up  his  rifle! 
You  might  as  well  have  ordered  a  Texan  of  that 
period  to  give  up  his  life. 

"Thundering  Sinai!"  and  Crockett's  face  hard- 
ened and  his  eyes  flashed  and  turned  involuntarily 
to  where  his  beloved  Betsey  stood  in  a  corner  of  the 
cabin.  "Give  up  your  rifles,  when  the  woods  are 
full  of  painters  and  bears  and  deer,  not  to  mention 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        21 

the  lesser  vermint,  and  cut-throat  Greasers,  and  red 
Injuns,  and  white  desperadoes!  Well,  I  reckon, 
that  fool  decree  didn't  work  none  much  this  side  of 
the  Rio  Grande." 

"Not  a  rod,  not  an  inch,"  Sam  McNelly  an- 
swered grimly.  "At  Gonzales,  a  little  town  on  the 
Guadalupe  River,  where  they  have  a  six-pounder 
cannon  for  defense  against  the  Indians,  the  Greas- 
ers got  their  answer  as  to  what  the  Texans  would 
do  when  ordered  to  give  up  their  arms.  The  Mex- 
icans demanded  the  surrender  of  this  cannon.  The 
people  of  Gonzales  refused  to  give  it  up.  Then  a 
troop  of  Mexican  cavalry,  a  hundred  strong,  were 
ordered  to  go  to  Gonzales  and  get  the  cannon.  But, 
by  this  time,  the  men  from  the  surrounding  country 
had  rallied  to  the  town  to  back  their  refusal  to  give 
up  the  cannon;  and,  when  the  Mexican  cavalry 
reached  the  west  bank  of  the  Guadalupe  River  op- 
posite the  town,  they  found  that  all  the  boats  had 
been  removed  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  that 
a  hundred  or  so  rough-looking  men,  armed  with 
long  rifles,  seemed  mighty  anxious  for  them  to  try 
to  come  over  and  get  the  cannon.  The  Greasers 
did  make  one  or  two  attempts  to  cross  the  river; 
but  quit  mighty  sudden  when  the  long  rifles  began 
firing  at  them. 

"  'Well,  now/  grumbled  that  old  Indian  fighter, 
John  Moore,  when  he  saw  the  Mexicans  didn't  have 
the  pluck  to  cross  the  river,  'since  the  Greasers 
won't  come  over  to  get  the  cannon,  I  move  that  we 


22  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

take  it  over  to  them,  loaded  with  arguments  against 
the  confiscatin'  of  our  arms,  plumb  to  the  muzzle/ 
and  that  night  across  the  river  they  all  went,  long 
rifles,  cannon  and  all. 

"The  Greasers  fired  at  them;  but  the  good  Lord, 
knowing  the  nature  of  the  beasts,  made  Mexicans 
so  they  can't  shoot  straight,  and  no  damage  was 
done.  The  next  morning  showed  the  Greasers  on 
top  of  a  little  mound  in  the  prairie,  and  wanting  to 
parley.  But  Moore  told  them  to  either  subscribe 
to  the  Liberal  Constitution  of  Texas  and  join  the 
Texans,  or  to  surrender.  Still  the  Mexicans 
couldn't  see  it  that  way;  so  the  six-pounder  loaded 
with  grape  discharged  its  argument,  and  the  Tex- 
ans, with  wild  yells,  charged  up  the  mound,  savage 
as  meat  axes;  and  the  Greasers,  not  being  born 
with  a  liking  for  the  feel  of  hot  lead  and  cold  steel, 
legged  it  back  to  Bexar  as  fast  as  their  horses  could 
gallop.  I  reckon  Santa  Anna  could  understand 
that  answer  to  his  decree  without  its  being  trans- 
lated," and  the  big  backwoodsman  smiled  grimly. 

"Certain  'twas  writ  plain  and  big  enough  for  him 
to  read  without  specks,"  laughed  Crockett.  "Hi- 
ho,  here  comes  Hot  Johnny!"  he  shouted  the  next 
moment,  as  Mrs.  McNelly  placed  a  steaming-hot 
plate  of  johnny-cake  down  in  front  of  him.  "Now, 
I'll  forget  Santa  Anna  and  his  Greasers  and  think 
of  Mother  Jane  and  her  hot  johnny-cake.  I  de- 
clare you  do  smell  prime,  as  the  fox  said  to  the 
gander  before  he  began  making  the  feathers  fly," 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        23 

and  Crockett  took  a  long  whiff  of  the  savory  corn 
bread,  and  then  got  "down  to  business,"  as  he  called 
it,  in  a  way  that  left  no  doubts  in  Mrs.  McNelly's 
mind  that  he  was  still  as  fond  as  ever  of  hot  johnny- 
cake. 

During  this  time  Tom  and  Trav  and  Kitty  had 
been  exceedingly  interested  but  silent  listeners,  and 
their  eyes  had  hardly  once  left  the  lively  counte- 
nance of  their  jolly  guest,  whose  lips  and  eyes  and 
whole  face  talked  almost  as  expressively  as  did  his 
tongue.  In  those  days,  boys  and  girls  had  little  to 
say  in  the  presence  of  their  elders,  and  seldom  ven- 
tured to  speak  unless  directly  spoken  to;  besides 
Davy  Crockett  in  their  eyes  was  a  very  great  and 
famous  man,  a  hero,  and,  in  spite  of  his  free  and 
easy  manners,  the  awe  of  his  greatness  tied  their 
tongues;  but  it  did  not  close  their  ears. 

After  supper,  the  night  had  already  grown  dark 
and  Kitty  had  lighted  two  tall  tallow  candles  and 
placed  them  on  the  table,  the  two  men  pulled  their 
chairs  up  in  front  of  the  fireplace,  lighted  their  pipes, 
and,  for  the  time  being  forgetting  Texas  and  her 
troubles,  began  to  talk  of  old  times  and  scenes  back 
in  Tennessee,  while  the  two  boys  and  Kitty  listened 
with  entranced  ears,  and  Mrs.  McNelly,  as  she 
moved  back  and  forth  busy  with  her  evening's  work, 
every  now  and  then  added  her  bit  of  reminiscence  or 
comment  to  the  talk  of  the  men.  Under  such  inter- 
esting circumstances  time  fled  so  swiftly  that  it 
grew  late  almost  without  the  boys  knowing  it;  and 


24  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

it  was  not  until  Mrs.  McNelly  had  hinted  two  or 
three  times  that  his  folks  might  be  worrying  about 
him,  that  Tom  finally  arose  from  the  bearskin  in 
front  of  the  fireplace  where  he  and  Trav  had  been 
reclining,  and  reluctantly  admitted  that  it  was  time 
he  was  going  home. 

"Come  over  as  early  as  you  can  in  the  morning, 
Tom,"  Trav  whispered  as  he  followed  Tom  to  the 
door.  "Maybe  we  can  get  Colonel  Crockett  to  go  on 
a  bear-hunt  with  us." 

"Tell  your  pa  that  Colonel  Davy  Crockett  from 
Tennessee  is  here,"  Sam  McNelly  called;  "and  to 
come  over  early  in  the  morning,  and  bring  his  rifle 
and  dogs.  I  reckon  Colonel  Crockett  would  like  to 
have  a  try  at  our  Texas  bears,  aye,  Davy?" 

"Correct,"  Crockett  responded  promptly,  his  face 
lighting  up.  "I  haven't  had  a  good  out  and  out 
bear-hunt  for  a  dog's  age;  and  Betsey  is  powerful 
anxious  to  try  conclusions  with  a  Texas  bear  before 
tackling  Santa  Anna  and  his  Greasers.  And  tell 
your  dad,  Tom,  I  want  you  to  come  along,  too. 
You  and  Trav  showed  real  grit  when  that  painter 
jumped  at  you  to-day,  real  bear-hunter  grit;  and  I 
want  you  both  to  go  along  with  us  to-morrow.  So 
trot  out  your  biggest  bear  to-morrow,  boys,  and  let 
Betsey  and  I  take  a  squint  at  him,"  and  Crockett 
smiled  pleasantly  at  the  flushed  faces  of  the  two 
lads,  who  blushed  like  schoolgirls  with  pleasure  at 
this  unexpected  praise  from  the  great  Davy  Crock- 
ett. 


The  Tall  Man  in  the  Coonskin  Cap        25 

"What  did  I  tell  you,  Tom?  what  did  I  tell  you?" 
Trav  exclaimed  excitedly,  as  he  stepped  out  of  the 
door  to  say  good  night  to  his  chum.  "Oh,  it  will 
be  great  to  go  bear-hunting  with  Davy  Crockett! 
And,  say,  Tom,  did  you  notice  his  rifle?  It  looks 
fit  for  a  king — and  he  is  a  king,  the  king  of  bear- 
hunters!  That's  the  rifle  the  young  men  of  Phila- 
delphia gave  him,  for  being  honest  and  brave 
enough  to  go  against  even  General  Jackson  when  he 
thought  General  Jackson  was  in  the  wrong.  You 
know  Davy's  motto  is :  'Be  sure  you  are  right ;  then 
go  ahead';  and  he  lives  right  up  to  it  on  the 
square.  Now,  be  sure  and  tell  your  father  that 
Davy  Crockett  said  for  you  to  come,  and  come 
early/' 

"As  if  I  could  forget  that!"  laughed  Tom. 
"Never  fear,  I'll  be  over  in  time  to  pull  you  out  of 
bed,"  and  with  a  laughing  good  night,  Tom  started 
on  the  run  for  his  home. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  GREAT  BEAR-HUNT 

THE  next  morning  Trav  McNelly  was  the  first 
one  up  in  the  cabin.  As  he  arose  to  his  feet 
and  quickly  dressed,  he  glanced  over  to  the  bed  in 
the  corner  of  the  cabin,  where  his  father  and 
Davy  Crockett  had  gone  to  sleep  the  night  before, 
to  assure  himself  that  the  wonderful  happenings  of 
the  day  before  were  not  a  dream  and  that  Davy 
Crockett  was  really  there  in  sound  flesh  and  blood, 
and  saw  a  pair  of  exceedingly  bright  eyes  sparkling 
at  him  above  the  bearskin  comforters. 

"Hello,  up  aready?  Well,  you  didn't  beat  me 
more'n  one  twist  of  a  coon's  tail,"  and  the  long  form 
of  Davy  Crockett  vaulted  out  of  the  bed.  "Here, 
tumble  out,  Old  Lazybones,"  and,  turning  quickly, 
he  caught  hold  of  one  arm  of  his  huge  bedfellow, 
and  jerked  him  out  on  the  floor,  where  he  landed 
with  a  thud  that  shook  the  whole  cabin. 

"Time  to  get  up,  Sam,"  and  Crockett  grinned 
joyously  down  into  the  startled  face  of  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly, who  had  been  sound  asleep  until  he  struck 
the  floor. 

"Land  of  goodness!  What what  was  that? 

26 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  27 

An  earthquake  ?"  and,  to  the  joy  of  the  grinning 
boy  and  man,  they  heard  Mrs.  McNelly  leap  out  of 
the  bed  where  she  had  been  sleeping  with  Kitty,  and 
rush  to  the  curtain  separating  the  two  rooms. 
"Heavens  and  earth !"  she  exclaimed,  sticking  her 
head  through  the  curtain.  "I  thought  it  was  an 
earthquake,  and  'twon't  only  Sam  McNelly  getting 
out  of  bed !" 

"Right  you  are,  mother/'  responded  the  good- 
natured  backwoodsman,  quickly  jumping  to  his 
feet,  and  making  a  swipe  with  the  flat  of  his  great 
hand  at  Crockett  that  would  have  knocked  him  off 
his  feet  had  it  hit  him,  but,  like  the  Scotchman's  flea, 
Davy  was  not  where  the  hand  fell.  "  'Twas  only 
Davy  and  me  getting  out  of  bed.  You  see,  Davy, 
being  in  front,  got  out  first,  and  I  followed  kindy 
sudden,  forgetting  to  use  my  feet  and  landing  on 
my  back.  Now,  you  and  Kitty  hustle  the  break- 
fast on  the  table  and  put  up  a  snatch  for  us  to  eat, 
so  that  we  can  get  after  the  bears  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. I  reckon  we'd  better  hunt  in  the  Hurricane 
Fall;  and  it's  a  good  ten  miles  there,  so  the  sooner 
we  get  started  the  better.  Bears  are  getting  a  little 
scarce  right  around  here,  Davy ;  but,  I  reckon,  Bing 
and  the  other  dogs  can  scare  up  some  of  the  brutes 
in  the  Hurricane  Fall,  where  a  great  storm  tore  up 
about  a  million  trees,  and  piled  them  on  top  of  one 
another,  like  the  devil  had  been  playing  jackstraws 
with  them." 

"If  the  Texas  bears  are  of  the  same  breed  as  the 


28  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Tennessee  bears,  that's  where  you  will  find  them/' 
Crockett  agreed.  "Hi-ho,  Kitty-Cat,"  and  he 
turned  to  Kitty,  who  had  just  stepped  out  from 
behind  the  curtain.  "The  top  o'  the  morning  to 
you.  You're  looking  as  fresh  and  as  sweet  as  a  ripe 
strawberry.  Come  and  give  your  old  sweetheart 
his  morning's  kiss.  Twill  take  the  bad  taste  of 
the  night  out  of  my  mouth,  and  sweeten  it  for  the 
whole  day."  Davy  Crockett  was  of  Irish  descent, 
and  some  of  his  ancestors  must  have  surely  kissed 
the  blarney  stone  in  Blarney  Castle,  Ireland. 

"I  will,  if  you  will  give  me  the  skin  of  the  biggest 
bear  you  kill  to-day,"  replied  the  little  maid,  blushing 
at  her  boldness  and  smiling  roguishly  until  the  dim- 
ples showed  in  each  cheek.  "I  want  it  to  spread  on 
the  floor  in  front  of  my  bed.  Will  you  give  me  the 
bearskin,  Davy?" 

"That  I  will;  and  I  reckon  I'll  get  the  best  and 
the  sweetest  end  of  the  bargain,  too,"  and  the  gallant 
colonel  advanced  quickly  to  the  side  of  the  girl, 
and  gave  her  a  rousing  smack  on  each  red  cheek. 

"Oh,  but  you  took  two!  And  the  bargain  only 
called  for  one,"  cried  Kitty,  quickly  springing  away. 

"Then,  why  did  you  show  me  two  dimples  ?  I'm 
plaguy  certain  they  both  wanted  me  to  kiss  them," 
declared  Colonel  Crockett  grinning.  "But,  I  will 
bring  you  two  bearskins.  Wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  I 
don't.  Now,  come  and  give  me  another  kiss,  just 
to  bind  the  bargain." 

But  Kitty,  with  a  laughing  toss  of  her  head,  told 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  29 

him  she  had  no  more  time  for  fooling,  and  turned 
away  to  help  her  mother  with  the  breakfast,  while 
Davy  Crockett  went  out  to  the  barn,  where  Trav 
and  his  father  were  attending  to  the  horses  and 
cows,  and  doing  the  other  necessary  chores. 

After  breakfast,  three  horses  were  saddled  and 
bridled;  and,  just  as  Trav  and  his  father  and  their 
guest  were  about  to  mount  them,  Jonas  Gifford  and 
Tom  rode  up,  accompanied  by  their  two  hunting 
dogs;  and,  without  further  delay,  the  start  for  the 
Hurricane  Fall,  where  they  were  to  do  their  bear- 
hunting,  was  made. 

"Don't  worry,  if  we're  not  back  until  late,  Jane," 
Sam  McNelly  called  back  to  his  wife,  as  they  rode 
away.  "Davy  hangs  to  a  bear  like  a  wax  plaster, 
and  there's  no  getting  him  away  until  the  bear  is 
dead,  so  it  may  be  after  dark  before  we  get  home." 

"Don't  you  dare  to  come  back  without  my  two 
bearskins,"  Kitty  shouted  to  Davy  Crockett.  "If 
you  do,  you  can't  have  any  supper." 

"Just  hold  to  your  apron  strings,  Kitty-Cat," 
Crockett  called  back  to  her.  "Them  bearskins  are 
yourn  just  as  certain  as  if  they  were  under  your 
pretty  feet  this  very  minute;  and,  if  you  don't  have 
the  table  piled  high  with  hot  johnny-cake  when  we 
get  back,  there'll  be  a  kettleful  of  trouble,  and  you'll 
be  dancing  in  the  middle  of  it,"  and  he  half  turned 
in  his  saddle  and  shook  his  fist  at  her. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour's  riding  the  bear-hunters 
came  to  the  edge  of  a  great  woods,  through  which  a 


30  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

tornado  had  mowed  a  swath  a  couple  of  miles  wide 
some  three  or  four  years  before,  leaving  the  trees 
broken  and  tumbled  one  upon  the  other,  and  lying, 
as  Davy  Crockett  said,  "every  which  and  t'other 
way  until  it  made  a  feller  cross-eyed  just  to  look  at 
them."  Here  the  hunters  dismounted  and  tied 
their  .horses  to  the  trunks  of  fallen  trees ;  for  that 
tremendous  jumble  of  logs  and  branches  was  utterly 
impassable  to  horses  and  obliged  them  to  continue 
the  hunt  on  foot.  The  dogs,  there  were  six  of  them, 
including  Trav's  Bing,  a  veteran  bear-hunter,  now 
began  running  hither  and  thither  among  the  fallen 
timber,  looking  for  bear;  and,  in  less  than  half  an 
hour,  their  loud  barking  and  baying  announced  that 
they  were  on  the  trail  of  Bruin. 

"There  they  go!"  and  Crockett,  his  eyes  begin- 
ning to  sparkle  with  the  excitement  of  the  hunt, 
started  in  the  direction  of  the  barking  dogs  so 
swiftly  that  Trav  and  Tom,  who  had  determined 
by  all  means  to  keep  near  the  great  Tennessee  bear- 
hunter,  found  great  difficulty  in  keeping  close  to  his 
side.  "I  knowed  we  would  strike  a  breeze  of  luck/' 
he  said  to  the  two  panting  boys,  when  at  the  end  of 
a  couple  miles'  run  they  paused  for  a  short  breath- 
ing, "because  I  dreamed  last  night  of  having  a 
mighty  hard  tussle  with  a  big  black  nigger,  and 
that  is  a  sure  sign  that  I  am  going  to  have  a  fight 
with  a  bear.  I  never  knowed  such  a  dream  to  fail 
me  in  a  bear  country,  and — " 

"They've  treed  him !     They've  treed  him !"  broke 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  31 

in  Trav  excitedly,  as  a  sudden  burst  of  furious  bark- 
ings reached  their  ears.  "Bing  never  barks  like 
that  except  when  he's  treed  a  bear  or  a  painter. 
Come  on,  Davy,  hurry,  Tom,  or  dad  and  Jonas  will 
beat  us  there  and  get  the  first  shot.  Come  on,"  and 
again  the  three  raced  over  and  under  and  through 
the  network  of  fallen  timber  as  fast  as  their  vigor- 
ous muscles  could  propel  them  in  the  direction  of 
thef  barking  dogs.  They  could  hear  Sam  McNelly 
crashing  through  the  brush  a  little  to  the  right  of 
them,  and  Jonas  Gifford  to  the  left;  and  the  boys 
did  not  want  their  fathers  to  beat  them  to  the  dogs, 
because  they  wished  to  see  Davy  Crockett  shoot  a 
bear  with  his  famous  rifle  all  by  himself,  and  the 
first  shot  belonged  to  the  one  who  caught  the  first 
sight  of  the  bear.  But  they  had  little  need  to  fear 
on  that  score,  for  the  giant  body  of  Sam  McNelly 
was  ill  fitted  for  rapid  locomotion  through  such  a 
tangle  of  trees,  and  the  stockily  built  Jonas  Gifford 
would  never  win  a  prize  for  speed  anywhere,  while 
the  tall,  lithe  frame  of  Crockett  seemed  made  of  steel 
and  run  by  some  powerful  engine,  so  swiftly  and 
surely  did  he  make  his  way  through  the  jumble  of 
trees  straight  toward  the  dogs. 

Trav  and  Tom,  greatly  excited,  followed  Davy 
Crockett  as  best  they  could;  and,  by  making  tre- 
mendous efforts,  succeeded  in  keeping  within  sight 
of  his  coonskin  cap.  At  last  they  heard  him  give  the 
view-halloo,  and  a  minute  later  they  came  to  where 
he  stood  in  the  edge  of  the  Hurricane  Fall  peering 


32  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

up  into  a  great  cottonwood  tree,  under  which  Bing 
and  the  other  dogs  were  barking  furiously. 

"I  see  him !  There,  about  half  way  up  the  tree !" 
cried  Trav  excitedly,  pointing  with  one  hand  up  into 
the  cottonwood. 

"Now,  if  you'll  just  wait  a  minute  until  the  blood 
stops  jumping  through  your  veins  so  that  you  can 
hold  your  rifle  steady,  one  of  you  boys  can  have  a 
try  at  his  royal  highness  squatting  up  there  along- 
side the  trunk,"  and  Crockett  smiled  down  on  the 
excited  faces  of  the  two  lads. 

"No!  No!"  they  both  exclaimed.  "We  want  to 
see  you  kill  the  bear !  We  want  to  see  Davy  Crock- 
ett kill  a  bear !  You  shoot." 

"Such  is  fame,"  Crockett  laughed.  "Well,  I 
don't  know  but  what  I  agree  with  you  lads,  and 
think  it  a  mighty  sight  more  interesting  to  shoot  a 
big  bear  out  of  a  tree  and  watch  him  come  tumbling 
down  to  the  ground  in  the  midst  of  the  yelping, 
growling,  barking  dogs,  than  it  is  to  be  a  congress- 
man and  help  make  the  laws  of  your  country.  A 
bear-hunter  at  least  can  always  talk  as  he  shoots, 
straight  from  the  shoulder,  which  a  congressman 
can't  do — that  is  if  he  wants  to  stay  in  congress," 
he  added,  smiling  whimsically,  as  he  thought  of 
how  his  own  straight  talk  had  brought  about  his 
defeat.  "Now,  when  you've  got  your  bear  treed, 
you  want  to  let  your  blood  quit  jumping  before  fir- 
ing, or,  a  tin  whistle  to  a  cannon,  you  don't  plunk 
the  bear  in  the  bull's-eye,  and  he  comes  down  out 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  33 

of  the  tree  ugly-wounded,  and  like  as  not  kills  a 
couple  of  dogs  for  you.  Well,  I  reckon  Betsey  is 
powerful  obliged  to  you  boys  for  giving  her  the 
first  crack  at  that  bear.  She's  fairly  itching  to 
speak  her  little  word,  so  I'll  let  her  blaze  away," 
and  he  suddenly  threw  his  long-barreled  rifle  to  his 
shoulder. 

The  bear  stood  in  the  crotch  of  a  great  limb, 
about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  his  forepaws 
half  encircling  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  his  head  turned 
sideways,  and  his  little  round  eyes  glaring  down  at 
Crockett  and  the  two  boys,  knowing  only  too  well 
where  his  greatest  danger  lay. 

"I'll  be  shot  if  I  don't  believe  I'll  plunk  him  in  the 
eye/'  Crockett  said,  as  the  long  barrel  became 
steady.  "It's  dead  sure  death  when  it  hits  right." 
For  a  brief  instant  the  barrel  of  the  rifle  remained 
absolutely  motionless ;  and  then,  with  a  sharp  crack, 
the  smoke  leaped  from  the  muzzle. 

At  the  report  of  the  rifle  the  bear's  head  jerked 
sharply  backward,  the  body  stiffened,  and  then  fell 
straight  downward,  dead,  into  the  midst  of  the  yelp- 
ing dogs. 

"Hurrah,  you  got  him  the  first  shot!"  shouted 
Trav,  as  he  and  Tom  ran  to  where  the  dogs  were 
worrying  the  carcass. 

The  moment  the  boys  came  up,  Bing  ceased  biting 
at  the  dead  bear,  looked  up  into  their  faces,  and, 
with  a  sharp  bark,  sprang  away  through  the  woods, 
followed  by  all  the  other  dogs. 


34  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Another  bear!  There  they  go  after  another 
bear!"  shouted  Crockett,  as  he  rammed  the  ball 
quickly  down  the  throat  of  Betsey.  "There  were 
two  bears,  and  now  the  dogs  are  after  the  other 
one.  Come  on,  boys.  Leave  that  dead  bear  for 
Sam  and  Jonas/'  and  away  he  started  on  the  trail 
of  the  dogs. 

"Here !  Here !"  Trav  shouted  to  his  father,  who 
just  now  appeared  in  sight,  struggling  bravely 
through  the  network  of  fallen  trees.  "Davy  has 
just  killed  one  bear,  and  now  he  is  off  after  another, 
and  we're  off  after  him.  Look  after  the  dead  bear. 
He's  here  under  this  tree,"  and,  with  a  shout,  away 
he  and  Tom  went  after  the  coonskin  cap  of  Davy 
Crockett,  which  they  could  see  bobbing  swiftly  in 
and  out  among  the  trees  a  few  rods  ahead;  but, 
do  their  best,  they  could  not  gain  an  inch  on  it,  and 
presently  they  lost  sight  of  the  cap  altogether,  and 
had  only  the  barking  of  the  dogs  to  guide  them. 

A  few  minutes  later  a  change  in  the  clamor  of 
the  dogs  told  them  that  the  bear  was  treed,  and  they 
redoubled  their  efforts  so  as  to  be  in  at  the  death; 
but,  before  they  came  within  sight  of  the  dogs,  they 
heard  Davy's  rifle  crack,  and,  when  a  few  minutes 
later  they  caught  sight  of  him,  he  was  standing 
over  the  body  of  a  dead  bear,  with  the  panting  dogs 
lying  in  a  circle  around  him. 

"I've  got  him !"  he  shouted,  jubilant  as  a  boy,  as 
the  two  lads  hurried  up.  "I  couldn't  wait  for  you 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  35 

fellows  nohow.  Betsey  was  too  dead  anxious  to 
shoot.  I  knowed  I  was  going  to  strike  a  powerful 
breeze  of  luck  when  I  dreamed  of  that  nigger. 
Never  knowed  that  dream  to  fail.  Mighty  good 
dog  that  Bing  of  yourn,  Trav.  Now,  let's  butcher 
the  critter ;  and  then  I  reckon  Bing  will  be  ready  to 
smell  us  out  another  bear,  won't  you,  you  old  war- 
horse?" 

Bing  thumped  his  tail  emphatically  on  the  ground 
behind  him,  then  got  up  and  went  to  the  bear,  seized 
him  by  the  throat,  and  worried  it  violently  for  a 
moment,  by  way  of  showing  how  plainly  he  under- 
stood the  colonel's  words  and  how  emphatically  he 
approved  of  them. 

In  a  moment  more  Davy  Crockett  and  the  two 
boys  had  their  hunting-knives  out  and  were  skin- 
ning the  bear.  As  soon  as  the  skin  was  off  they  cut 
the  body  open,  and  hung  it  and  the  skin  up  in  a 
tree,  where  they  could  get  them  after  the  hunt  was 
over.  Just  as  they  finished  hanging  up  the  bear 
Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford  came  puffing  up. 
They  had  skinned  and  hung  up  the  other  bear,  and 
then  had  started  on  the  run  on  the  trail  of  the 
dogs. 

"Say,  where  does  Jonas  and  I  come  in  in  this 
hunt  ?"  laughed  Sam  McNelly,  when  he  caught  sight 
of  this  second  bear.  "We  haven't  had  a  sight  of  a 
bear  yet  until  he  is  dead.  I  reckon  we'll  have  to  tie 
Davy  up,  Jonas,  or  we  won't  get  a  shot  at  a  bear 


36  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to-day.  Well,  Trav,  what  do  you  think  now  of  our 
great  Tennessee  bear-hunter  ?  Two  bears,  and  the 
hunt  not  an  hour  old!" 

"He's  great,"  Trav  answered,  his  eyes  shining 
with  honest  admiration.  "And  both  bears  killed 
by  bullets  in  the  eyes !" 

"That's  just  to  save  making  a  hole  in  the  hide," 
laughed  Crockett.  "And  as  for  you  and  Jonas," 
and  he  turned  his  beaming  countenance  to  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly.  "Every  turtle  to  his  own  mud  puddle.  I 
reckon  the  good  Lord  never  made  them  legs  and 
bodies  of  yourn  for  running  bear.  Looks  to  me  as 
if  they  were  built  just  about  right  for  butchering 
dead  bears  and  hanging  up  their  bodies,  don't  they, 
boys  ?"  and  he  winked  to  Trav  and  Tom,  who  stood 
grinning  by  his  side. 

"Sure,"  responded  both  boys  promptly. 

"Well,  I  reckon  that's  about  all  Jonas  and  I  will 
get  a  chance  of  doing  to-day,"  Sam  grinned  back. 
"But  'tain't  nigh  as  hard  on  one's  clothes  and  feel- 
ings, as  racing  lickity-split  over  logs  and  stumps 
and  through  brambles  and  brush,  just  to  put  a  hunk 
of  lead  into  a  bear.  So  go  ahead,  Davy,  and  slaugh- 
ter all  the  bear  in  Texas  if  you  want  to,  and  Jonas 
and  I  will  'tend  to  the  butchering." 

"Hear  that,  Bing,  you  old  bear-smeller?"  and 
Crockett  turned  to  the  dogs.  "We're  given  cart 
blank,  as  they  say  in  Washington  when  they  want  a 
fellow  to  go  ahead  and  spend  a  lot  of  somebody 
else's  cash;  so  get  a  hustle  on  you.  Smell  them 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  37 

out!  Smell  them  out!  Come  on,  boys!"  and, 
shouting  to  the  dogs,  Davy  Crockett  again  plunged 
into  the  tangled  mass  of  the  Hurricane  Fall. 

For  half  an  hour  the  dogs  ran  hither  and  thither 
without  finding  a  smell  of  a  bear;  and  then,  of  a 
sudden,  when  not  more  than  a  dozen  rods  ahead  of 
Crockett  and  the  two  boys,  although  out  of  their 
sight,  they  burst  into  a  wild  tumult  of  clamor  that 
told  the  hunters  that  they  had  started  a  hot  bear, 
and  were  hanging  close  to  his  heels. 

"Jump  lively,  boys!"  Crockett  shouted,  leaping 
forward.  "The  dogs  have  got  old  Bruin  cornered, 
or  I  don't  understand  dog  language,  and  there's 
going  to  be  a  mighty  lively  scrimmage,"  and  he 
sprang  over  the  logs  and  through  the  brush  as  if 
his  muscles  were  made  of  steel  and  his  skin  of 
iron. 

Trav  and  Tom  followed  him  as  swiftly  as  they 
could,  and  soon  came  upon  the  barking,  yelping 
dogs,  swarming  excitedly  about  an  opening  under 
the  trunks  of  three  huge  trees  that  had  fallen  in 
such  a  way  as  to  form  a  cave  large  enough  for  a 
bear  to  crawl  into.  Davy  Crockett  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  jumping  dogs,  his  rifle  cocked  and  held  ready 
for  instant  use,  attempting  to  get  a  sight  of  the 
animal  under  the  logs. 

"What  is  it?  What  is  it?"  cried  both  of  the  ex- 
cited boys,  pushing  their  way  in  amongst  the  dogs. 

"A  bear,  and  a  whopper,"  Davy  answered,  never 
taking  his  eyes  from  the  opening.  "I  saw  him 


38  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

charge  the  dogs  just  as  I  came  up.  But  it's  so 
tarnal  dark  in  there  I  can't  get  a  sight  of  him  good 
enough  to  shoot  by.  Supposing  you  boys  see  if  you 
can't  find  a  hole  between  the  trunks,  into  which  you 
can  poke  a  rifle  and  fire  it  off,  and  stir  the  old  fellow 
up.  I  and  the  dogs  will  be  ready  for  him,  if  he 
comes  out." 

Tray  and  Tom  at  once  began  a  hurried  examina- 
tion of  the  fallen  tree  trunks. 

"Here's  a  hole!"  Tom  shouted  presently.  "Look 
out,  Davy,  I'm  going  to  fire  into  it,"  and  he  thrust 
his  rifle  into  the  hole  and  pulled  the  trigger. 

There  was  a  muffled  report,  followed  by  an  angry 
roar  from  the  bear;  and  then,  before  either  boy 
knew  what  was  happening,  they  heard  Davy  Crock- 
ett's rifle,  and  saw  a  black  monster  plunging  out  of 
the  cave  opening  and  rushing  straight  toward 
Colonel  Crockett.  Trav  threw  his  rifle  to  his 
shoulder;  but,  at  that  moment,  Bing  and  the  other 
dogs  sprang  upon  the  bear  from  the  rear,  and,  in 
an  instant,  there  was  such  a  confused  jumble  of 
bear  and  dogs  that  he  could  not  shoot  with  any  cer- 
tainty of  hitting  the  bear. 

"Don't  fire !  Don't  shoot !"  Crockett  cried.  "You 
might  kill  a  dog.  I'll  get  him  with  my  butcher," 
and,  drawing  his  hunting-knife,  he  sprang  toward 
that  struggling  mass  of  bear  and  dogs. 

At  this  moment  the  bear  shook  himself  free  from 
the  dogs,  rose  on  his  hind  feet,  and  lunged  straight 
toward  Davy  Crockett ;  and  the  horrified  boys  saw 


Both  boys  sprang  to  Crockett's  help. 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  39 

man  and  beast  go  to  the  ground  together,  and  roll 
over  and  over  in  a  tremendous  life  and  death  strug- 
gle. Both  boys,  with  faces  white  as  milk,  but  with- 
out an  instant's  hesitation,  sprang  to  Crockett's 
help,  Trav  trying  to  get  a  shot  at  the  beast  with 
his  rifle,  and  Tom  striving  to  stab  him  with  his 
hunting-knife.  But  so  swiftly  did  the  fighting  bear 
and  man  change  places,  that  Trav  did  not  dare  to 
shoot  nor  Tom  to  stab  for  fear  of  hitting  Crockett, 
while  the  dogs  hung  back  as  if  they,  too,  were  fear- 
ful of  doing  more  harm  to  the  man  than  to  the  bear, 
should  they  attempt  to  aid  him. 

But  Davy  Crockett  needed  no  help;  for,  sud- 
denly, the  anxious  boys  saw  him  spring  from  the 
embrace  of  those  dreadful  arms,  saw  his  knife 
flash  an  instant  in  the  air,  saw  the  strength  go  sud- 
denly from  the  bear  and  his  huge  body  collapse; 
and  then  Davy  Crockett  stood  before  them,  white 
and  panting,  but  unharmed  and  smiling. 

"Wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  that  wasn't  a  mighty 
tight  squeeze!"  and  Crockett  began  carefully  feel- 
ing of  his  ribs.  "Not  a  one  cracked,"  he  continued 
with  smiling  satisfaction.  "Thought  sure  the 
brute  would  bust  my  biler  before  I  could  get  my 
butcher  into  him.  Reckon  that'll  make  a  mighty 
fine  pelt  for  Kitty-Cat,"  and  he  regarded  the  huge 
carcass  critically.  "Must  weigh  about  six  hundred 
pounds.  About  the  biggest  bear  I  ever  killed.  Hi, 
there,  Lazybones !  Hurry  up !"  he  shouted,  as  the 
crashing  of  brush  announced,  as  he  supposed,  the 


40  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

coming  of  Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas.  "We've  just 
got  the  father  of  all  Texas  bears.  I  knowed  I  was 
a-going  to  have  a  tussle  with  a  big  bear,  when  I 
dreamed  of  fighting  with  a  big  black  nigger,"  and 
he  turned  again  to  Trav  and  Tom,  who  stood  star- 
ing at  him  and  the  dead  bear.  "I  never  knowed 
that  dream  to —  Screeching  painters,  if  it  ain't  a 
couple  of  strangers !"  and  he  stared  in  astonishment 
at  the  two  men  who  now  appeared  pushing  their 
way  through  the  brush  toward  them. 

Trav  and  Tom  turned  quickly,  and  saw  a  great, 
powerfully  built  man,  over  six  feet  tall,  dressed  in 
buckskin  breeches,  with  a  Mexican  blanket  thrown 
around  his  shoulders,  and  a  broad  sombrero  on  his 
head,  advancing  toward  them  with  all  the  stately 
dignity  of  mien  of  an  Indian  chief.  In  one  hand 
he  carried  a  long-barreled  Remington  rifle,  and, 
from  a  belt  that  showed  under  the  folds  of  the 
blanket,  protruded  the  butts  of  a  couple  of  pistols 
and  the  handle  of  a  large  hunting-knife.  His  com- 
panion was  a  medium-sized  man,  with  black  hair, 
piercing  black  eyes,  and  a  face  tanned  and  seamed 
by  exposure  until  it  had  the  appearance  of  being 
covered  with  brown,  wrinkled  leather.  He,  also, 
was  dressed  in  deerskin,  and  carried  a  long  weather- 
beaten  rifle,  that  looked  as  rugged  and  as  ready  for 
any  business,  however  deadly,  as  its  owner;  and 
the  quiet  stealthiness  with  which  he  moved  over  the 
ground,  like  the  dignified  mien  of  his  companion, 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  41 

also  suggested  something  of  the  Indian  in  its  si- 
lence and  ease. 

"Who  can  they  be?"  Tom  whispered  hurriedly 
to  Trav,  his  eyes  on  the  strangers. 

"I  don't  know,"  Trav  whispered  back.  "But  that 
big  fellow  looks  as  if  he  might  be  the  Grand  Mogul 
of  all  Texas  himself —  But,  say,  I  do  know  the  lit- 
tle fellow !  It's — "  and  his  face  flushed  with  excite- 
ment. "It's — yes,  I  am  sure,  it's  Deaf  Smith,  the 
best  scout  and  Indian  fighter  in  all  Texas.  I  saw 
him  once  at  San  Felipe,  and  I  could  never  forget  nor 
mistake  that  face." 

"Deaf  Smith !"  and  Tom's  eyes  devoured  the  wiry 
form  of  the  famous  scout,  whose  wonderful  skill  in 
woodcraft  and  coolness  and  daring  in  moments  of 
peril  had  made  his  name  and  fame  known  to  every 
boy  in  Texas.  "Deaf  Smith!  I  wonder  what  he 
is  doing  here?  and  who  that  big  man  is  with  him? 
See — see,  Trav,  Davy  knows  him!"  and  Tom 
pointed  to  Davy  Crockett,  who,  with  outstretched 
hand  and  a  look  of  pleased  surprise  on  his  face,  was 
hurrying  toward  the  tall  stranger. 

"Wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  this  ain't  General  Sam !" 
"Davy  Crocket,  by  the  eternal !"  they  heard  the  two 
men  exclaim,  as  they  clasped  hands. 

"Thought  you  were  in  Tennessee  shooting  bears, 
Colonel,"  continued  the  huge  stranger.  "I  heard 
that  your  constituents  had  given  you  a  vacation," 
and  his  eyes  twinkled,  "and  I  supposed  that  you 


42  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

* 

were  following  your  favorite  vocation  of  bear-hunt- 
ing in  the  woods  of  Tennessee.  But,"  and  his 
glance  turned  to  the  dead  bear  and  the  dogs,  "I  see 
that  you  have  concluded  to  come  to  Texas  to  hunt 
your  bears,  Colonel,"  and  his  shrewd  eyes  looked 
keenly  into  Davy  Crockett's  face.  "You  are  most 
cordially  welcome,  most  cordially  welcome  just  now, 
Colonel,"  and  again  he  gripped  Davy  Crockett's 
hand  and  shook  it  warmly. 

"I  am  mighty  glad  to  see  you,  General,"  Crockett 
responded  heartily,  "but  I  no  more  expected  to  see 
you  walk  out  of  that  brush  than  I  did  to  see  the 
emperor  of  Turkey.  Powerful  big  bear,"  and  he 
glanced  toward  the  dead  beast;  "but  Betsey  and  I 
are  looking  for  bigger  game  than  that  in  Texas. 
Reckon  we  can  find  any,  General?"  and  he  smiled. 

At  this  moment  Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford 
pushed  their  way  through  the  brush,  and  paused  in 
astonishment  at  the  sight  of  the  two  strangers. 
Crockett's  quick  eye  at  once  caught  sight  of  them. 

"Here,  Sam,  Jonas,"  he  called.  "Come  here. 
Here's  something  better  than  bear,"  and  he  grinned 
like  a  young  schoolboy. 

Sam  and  Jonas  at  once  advanced  to  where  Crock- 
ett stood  with  the  strangers;  and  Trav  and  Tom 
followed  close  behind  them,  their  ears  fairly  burn- 
ing with  eagerness  to  hear  the  name  of  the  stalwart 
stranger,  whose  remarkable  appearance  and  stately 
mien  had  so  keenly  awakened  their  curiosity  and  in- 
terest. 


The  Great  Bear-Hunt  43 

"This  is,"  and  Davy  Crockett  paused  to  make  the 
introduction  more  impressive,  doubtless  a  trick  his 
Washington  experiences  had  taught  him,  "General 
Sam  Houston,  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of 
Texas,  and  his  chief  of  scouts,  Deaf  Smith,  the 
pluckiest  little  bunch  of  muscles  and  blood  and  bones 
ever  put  into  a  human  skin,"  and  Crockett  pulled 
off  his  coonskin  cap  and  bowed  to  the  two  men, 
doubtless  another  little  trick  he  had  learned  while 
at  Washington. 


CHAPTER    IV 

AN  ADVENTURE  V/ITH  A  MEXICAN 

ENERAL  SAM  HOUSTON,  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Texan  Armies! 

No  wonder  that  Trav  and  Tom  stared  with  wide- 
opened  eyes  at  the  tall  stranger ;  for  the  man  before 
them,  even  at  that  date,  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable and  picturesque  characters  in  the  western 
world,  and  his  name  had  sounded  big  in  their  ears 
from  early  childhood. 

They  knew  the  wonderful  story  of  how,  when 
but  a  boy,  he  had  fled  from  the  drudgery  of  a  clerk- 
ship in  a  store  to  the  tents  of  the  Cherokee  Indians, 
telling  his  brothers  that  he  preferred  measuring 
deer-tracks  to  measuring  tape,  and  had  been  adopted 
into  the  family  of  Oo-loo-tee-kah,  or  John  Jolly,  as 
he  was  better  known  to  the  English,  one  of  the 
Indian  sub-chiefs,  and  had  lived  and  dressed  like  an 
Indian  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  had 
suddenly  left  his  Indian  friends,  returned  to  his 
home,  secured  a  school,  and  had  taught  it  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

They  remembered  the  brave  words  of  his  Spar- 
tan-like mother,  who,  when  a  little  later  he  enlisted 
in  the  American  Army  to  help  fight  the  British  in 

44 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  45 

the  War  of  1812,  had  said  to  him,  as  she  handed 
him  his  musket:  "There,  my  son,  take  this  musket, 
and  never  disgrace  it;  for  remember,  I  had  rather 
all  my  sons  should  fill  one  honorable  grave  than  that 
one  of  them  should  turn  his  back  to  save  his  life. 
Go;  and  remember,  too,  that  while  the  door  of  my 
cabin  is  ever  open  to  brave  men,  it  is  eternally  shut 
to  all  cowards!"  They  knew  how  bravely  he  had 
lived  up  to  those  heroic  words  at  the  Battle  of  To- 
ho-pe-ka,  where  he  had  been  so  seriously  hurt  that 
the  wound  never  healed,  and  had  won  the  admira- 
tion and  friendship  of  General  Jackson,  his  com- 
mander, by  his  gallantry. 

They  had  heard  a  thousand  times  the  romantic 
and  dramatic  and  mystifying  story  of  his  political 
life,  culminating  in  his  election  to  the  governorship 
of  Tennessee,  his  sudden  resignation  of  that  high 
office,  his  desertion  of  his  young  and  beautiful  wife, 
not  three  months  married,  and  his  return  to  the  wild 
life  of  his  Indian  friends,  the  Cherokees,  where  he 
had  resumed  his  Indian  name  of  Co-lon-neh,  the 
Raven,  and  the  Indian  dress  and  habits,  even  mar- 
rying an  Indian  woman  after  his  wife  had  secured 
a  divorce,  and  sinking  so  low  in  his  debaucheries 
that  his  Indian  friends  renamed  him  the  "Big 
Drunk/'  Now,  he  had  again  aroused  himself  at 
the  call  of  Texas ;  and  was  there  at  the  head  of  her 
armies  to  help  her  fight  her  battles  for  Liberty  and 
Independence  against  the  greed  and  oppression  of 
Mexico. 


46  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

No  wonder,  I  say,  that  Trav  and  Tom  stood, 
staring  open-eyed,  at  this  remarkable  man,  whose 
remarkable  history  had  been  the  talk  of  their  glow- 
ing fireside  on  many  a  long  dark  night,  and  whose 
name  had  won  a  place  in  their  hearts  something 
like  that  held  by  the  fabled  heroes  of  old. 

And  now  this  mystifying  and  picturesque  hero 
was  actually  there  before  them,  ready  to  grasp  and 
shake  their  hands ! 

"Two  more  stalwart  sons  of  Texas,"  and  with  a 
smile,  General  Houston  turned  from  shaking  hands 
with  Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  and  warmly  gripped 
the  hands  of  Trav  and  Tom.  "Two  more  stalwart 
sons  that  I  am  sure  will  be  ready  to  fly  to  her  de- 
fense, if  she  calls,  will  you  not,  my  brave  lads  ?" 

"Yes,  sir,  that  we  will,"  responded  Trav,  his  face 
flushing  and  his  eyes  sparkling.  "We  are  ready  to 
go  now.  We  don't  need  to  be  called.  We  know 
that  Texas  needs  the  help  of  her  sons;  and,  if  our 
fathers  would  let  us,  we  would  be  in  your  army 
before  another  sunrise,  ready  to  fight  the  Mexicans. 
We  are  not  very  old ;  but  we  both  can  shoot  straight, 
and  we  are  not  afraid,  at  least  not  of  Greasers." 

"Nor  of  panthers  and  bears,"  Davy  Crockett 
broke  in,  as  Trav  paused  in  confusion,  for  he  sud- 
denly realized  that  he  was  talking  "big,"  and  to 
General  Sam  Houston !  "As  I  am  ready  to  testify," 
continued  Davy,  giving  Trav  a  hearty  slap  on  the 
shoulder.  "They're  the  real  grit  from  toe-nails  to 
scalp-locks.  But,  I  reckon,  Texas  ain't  so  short  of 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  47 

men  yet  that  she  needs  to  send  her  boys  to  fight  her 
battles." 

"No,  the  men  of  Texas  can  fight  the  battles  of 
Texas,"  responded  General  Houston,  his  eyes  rest- 
ing admiringly  on  the  bright,  resolute  faces  of  the 
two  youths.  "But  she  is  proud  to  know  that  she 
has  such  boys,  who  will  soon  grow  to  be  men,  to 
depend  on  in  the  future.  And,  my  lads,"  he  con- 
tinued, "you  can  do  a  great  work  for  Texas  by  stay- 
ing at  home  to  protect  and  care  for  the  women  and 
children,  when  she  calls  her  men  to  her  defense. 
Santa  Anna  is  said  to  be  even  now  marching  on 
Texas  at  the  head  of  an  army,  to  drive  Liberty  from 
our  free  hearthstones  with  bullets  and  bayonets  and 
musket  butts,  and  to  make  us  free  Texans  cringe 
before  the  might  of  his  power,  even  as  he  does  his 
cowardly  Mexicans ;  but — " 

"We've  got  a  mighty  big  surprise  party  waiting 
for  him,  General,"  burst  out  Davy  Crockett,  his 
dark  eyes  flashing  and  his  muscular  hands  tighten- 
ing their  grip  on  Betsey.  "We  will  show  him  how 
brave  men,  born  in  freedom,  would  rather  die  than 
yield  an  inch  to  a  tyrant.  But,  I  reckon,  if  we  die, 
we  won't  die  alone,"  he  finished  grimly,  little  realiz- 
ing then  how  heroically  he  was  later  to  redeem  his 
words,  at  America's  Thermopylae,  the  Alamo. 

"Santa  Anna,  backed  by  all  Mexico,  can  never 
conquer  men  fired  by  such  patriotism  and  courage. 
If  he  dares  to  invade  Texas,  we  will — " 

The  stalwart  form  of  General  Houston  suddenly 


48  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

staggered  backward  with  the  cry:  "My  God,  I'm 
shot !"  while  at  the  same  instant  the  sharp  crack  of 
a  rifle  was  heard,  sounding  from  a  thick  mass  of 
broken  trees  that  the  hurricane  had  piled  one  up 
on  the  other  some  seventy-five  yards  from  where 
they  were  standing. 

With  cries  of  horror  Trav  and  Tom,  who  stood 
the  nearest  to  General  Houston,  sprang  forward  to 
catch  him,  as  he  reeled  backward ;  but,  before  their 
hands  could  touch  him,  he  straightened  up  with  a 
yell  of  exultation. 

"Only  creased,  by  the  eternal!"  he  cried,  with- 
drawing his  hand  from  his  forehead,  whence 
trickled  a  tiny  stream  of  red.  "The  villain !"  and, 
gripping  his  rifle,  his  face  glowering  with  rage,  he 
sprang  toward  the  spot  whence  the  rifle  ball  had 
come ;  but,  before  he  had  taken  two  steps,  the  strong 
hand  of  Deaf  Smith  caught  him  by  the  shoulder 
and  quickly  pulled  him  behind  a  tree. 

"Jest  wait  a  bit,  General,"  and  the  scout's  keen 
eyes  turned  to  search  the  spot  where  a  little  cloud 
of  smoke  rested  above  the  mass  of  broken  trees. 
"Thar  might  be  another  loaded  rifle  behind  them 
trees  that  won't  miss,"  and,  carefully  shielding  his 
body  behind  a  tree,  he  began  coolly  reloading  his 
rifle,  which  he  had  fired  at  the  smoke  of  their  hidden 
enemy's  gun  with  such  sudden  swiftness  that  there 
seemed  not  a  second's  difference  between  the  sounds 
of  the  two  reports.  "Nuthin'  movin',"  he  continued, 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  49 

as  he  rammed  the  ball  down  the  long  barrel  of  his 
rifle,  still  keeping  his  eyes  on  the  pile  of  broken 
trees.  "Reckon  Davy  an'  me  'd  better  do  some 
reconniterin'.  'Twon't  do  tew  run  intew  no  am- 
buscade. Now,  keep  a  tree  atween  you  an'  that 
brush  heap,  till  we've  discovered  th'  color  of  this 
devilment,  white  or  red  or  Mexican.  Take  tew  th' 
right,  Davy,"  and,  nodding  to  Crockett,  who  stood 
behind  a  tree  at  his  side,  he  disappeared  so  swiftly 
and  silently  among  the  trees  to  the  left  of  where 
he  stood,  that  to  Trav  and  Tom  it  seemed  as  if  the 
earth  had  swallowed  him  up. 

"Keep  both  eyes  peeled  on  that  brush  pile," 
Crockett  warned,  as  he  glided  by  the  two  trees  be- 
hind which  Trav  and  Tom  had  jumped  the  moment 
they  saw  that  General  Houston  had  not  been  hurt 
seriously,  "and,  if  you  see  anything  moving,  blaze 
away  as  quick  as  a  streak  of  greased  lightning," 
and  he,  too,  silently  vanished  among  the  trees  and 
brush,  going  to  the  right. 

Trav  and  Tom  had  been  greatly  startled  by  the 
sudden  unexpectedness  of  that  nearly  fatal  shot, 
coming  so  mysteriously  from  out  the  depths  of  the 
silent  woods;  and  now,  as  they  stood  behind  their 
trees,  their  eyes  on  the  spot  where  the  shot  had  been 
fired  and  their  guns  held  ready  for  instant  use,  won- 
dering what  lay  hidden  beyond  that  fateful  pile  of 
broken  trees — Indians,  or  Mexicans,  or  white  des- 
peradoes— their  hearts  were  thumping  against  their 


SO  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

*  ribs  like  hammers.  But,  not  a  sound  broke  the 
silence  of  the  woods,  and  not  a  movement  betrayed 
the  presence  of  their  mysterious  enemy. 

Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford  crouched,  each 
behind  his  tree,  one  on  either  side  of  the  boys,  while 
General  Houston  stood  half  a  dozen  feet  in  front 
of  them,  behind  the  trunk  of  a  huge  cottonwood. 
The  dogs  had  disappeared  altogether,  doubtless  in 
search  of  another  bear, 

Those  were  perilous  times  in  Texas ;  and  travel- 
ers through  her  lonely  forests  and  across  her  great 
plains  had  to  be  not  only  on  their  guard  against 
roving  bands  of  hostile  Indians,  but,  also,  against 
the  more  dangerous  white  outlaws  and  the  treach- 
erous Mexicans,  who  had  taken  advantage  of  the 
unsettled  condition  of  governmental  affairs  to  work 
out  their  private  schemes  of  vengeance  and  plunder, 
and  woe  to  the  man  who  now  had  an  enemy  among 
them.  In  some  unguarded  moment  his  cowardly 
foe  would  strike;  and  there  would  be  only  ruins  to 
tell  where  once  a  settler  had  built  his  home,  or  he 
would  be  waylaid  and  shot  from  ambush.  Hence 
our  friends  had  only  showed  their  wisdom  in  thus 
quickly  getting  behind  trees  and  staying  there,  until 
they  knew  more  of  the  danger  that  threatened  them. 

Ten,  fifteen,  twenty  minutes  passed,  without  a 
sound  or  a  sign  coming  from  the  silent  forest  around 
to  tell  them  where  or  what  their  enemy  was;  and 
then,  suddenly,  off  to  their  right,  they  heard  the 
barking  and  yelping  of  the  dogs,  quickly  followed 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  51 

by  a  rifle  shot  and  a  louder  and  more  furious  out- 
burst from  the  dogs,  now  sounding  nearer,  as  if  the 
animals  were  coming  in  their  direction,  and  ending 
in  a  tumultuous  clamor  of  barks  and  yelps  appar- 
ently coming  from  a  thick  bunch  of  tall  cottonwoods 
growing  not  ten  rods  from  where  they  were  stand- 
ing. 

"Another  bear,  and  the  dogs  have  treed  him  not 
ten  rods  away !"  Trav  exclaimed,  glancing  excitedly 
in  the  direction  of  the  barking  dogs,  and  then  turn- 
ing a  longing  face  to  General  Houston. 

"Go  it,  youngsters,"  laughed  Houston,  correctly 
reading  the  longing  in  the  boy's  face,  "and  get  that 
bear.  We  three  men  will  stay  on  guard.  Quick 
— Now !"  and,  throwing  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder,  he 
covered  the  suspected  pile  of  broken  trees,  ready  to 
fire  on  the  instant  should  the  enemy  make  a  hostile 
move. 

Trav  and  Tom  needed  no  second  bidding,  and, 
stooping  low,  they  darted  swiftly  from  behind  their 
trees,  and  ran  at  full  speed  in  the  direction  of  the 
barking1  dogs.  They  found  the  dogs  growling  and 
yelping  furiously  underneath  a  great  cottonwood 
that  stood  a  little  apart  from  the  other  trees. 

"Can  you  see  the  bear?"  Tom  panted  excitedly, 
as  the  two  lads  came  to  a  stop  a  little  distance  from 
this  tree,  his  eyes  eagerly  searching  its  top.  "I 
can't  seem  to  find —  Ah,  there  he  is,  hugging  the 
trunk  ck)se !  My  first  shot !"  and  he  joyfully  raised 
his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  glanced  along  the  gun 


52  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

barrel;  but,  before  he  could  pull  trigger,  a  brown 
horny  hand  shot  out,  and  caught  the  barrel,  and 
pulled  the  rifle  aside;  and  Tom  turned  in  astonish- 
ment to  find  the  leathery  face  of  the  scout,  Deaf 
Smith,  close  to  his  own. 

"Killin'  ain't  none  tew  good  for  th'  reptile,"  and 
the  scout's  eyes  glinted  savagely ;  "but,  I  reckon,  th' 
general  would  like  tew  have  a  talk  with  him  afore 
th'  killin'  begins.  Come  down  out  of  that  tree,  you 
yeller  vermint,  or  you'll  find  somethin'  worse  than 
dog's  teeth  bitin'  your  hide,"  and  he  threw  his  long- 
barreled  rifle  suggestively  to  his  shoulder  and 
pointed  it  upward  into  the  tree  at  Tom's  bear. 

"Why,  it's  a  man !"  gasped  Tom,  as  the  supposed 
bear,  under  the  threat  of  the  scout,  began  slowly 
climbing  down  the  tree,  casting  many  anxious  and 
terrified  glances  at  the  growling  dogs  and  the  stern 
face  of  Deaf  Smith. 

"Call  th'  dogs  off.  He  ain't  fit  for  dog-meat," 
and  Deaf  Smith  stepped  toward  the  trunk  of  the 
tree  to  be  ready  to  receive  the  man  when  he  reached 
the  ground. 

Trav  and  Tom,  tremendously  excited  by  this  un- 
expected appearance  of  a  man  in  the  place  of  the 
bear  they  thought  the  dogs  had  treed,  at  once  hur- 
ried to  the  tree,  and,  calling  off  the  still  savagely 
growling  animals,  stared  wonderingly  at  the  man 
descending  from  his  lofty  perch  to  the  ground  with 
such  evident  reluctance  that  the  grim  scout  was 
compelled  to  threaten  him  again  and  again  before 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  53 

he  at  last  stood  cowering  and  glowering  on  the  hard 
earth. 

"First  time  I  ever  knowed  dogs  to  tree  a  two- 
legged  bear,"  laughed  Davy  Crockett,  stepping  into 
view  at  this  moment.  "Ugly  as  a  stone  fence,  and 
wicked  looking  as  a  rattlesnake,"  and  he  stepped 
up  close  and  scrutinized  the  face  of  the  captive 
keenly.  "Mexican,  and  a  mighty  poor  specimen  at 
that,  I  take  it,"  he  continued,  as  he  noted  the  dark 
scowling  features,  the  glittering  snake-like  eyes,  and 
the  inky-black  hair  of  the  prisoner.  "Reckon  we 
needn't  look  any  further  for  the  skunk  that  fired 
that  shot,"  and  he  turned  to  the  scout. 

"He's  th5  skunk,"  Deaf  Smith  agreed  emphatic- 
ally. "I  sot  th'  dogs  on  his  trail.  Mighty  knowin' 
dog  that  yeller  cur.  Scotched  yer  shoulder,  did 
he?"  and  he  glanced  to  where  Bing  sat  a  few  feet 
away,  licking  a  wound  in  his  shoulder  and  growling 
and  keeping  an  eye  on  the  Mexican.  "Wai,  'twas 
a  mighty  lucky  thing  for  you,  old  feller,  'twas  a 
Greaser  ahind  that  gun  when  it  went  off.  Call  th' 
general  an'  th'  rest,"  and  he  turned  to  Trav,  who  at 
once  started  on  the  run  for  the  place  where  he  had 
left  General  Houston  and  his  father  and  Jonas. 

General  Houston,  on  reaching  the  cottonwood 
tree,  strode  straight  to  the  trembling  Mexican,  and, 
for  a  minute,  stood  glaring  down  into  the  face  of 
the  shivering  wretch  without  speaking  a  word. 

The  Mexican's  face  turned  the  color  of  yellow 
chalk,  and  he  involuntarily  threw  up  one  arm,  as  if 


54  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to  ward  off  the  accusing  glare  of  those  stern  eyes, 
and,  backing  up  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  stood 
silent  and  cringing,  yet  with  such  a  murderous  glit- 
ter in  his  narrow  beady  black  eyes  that  it  was  evi- 
dent only  his  cowardly  soul  kept  him  from  plung- 
ing the  dagger  in  his  belt  into  the  heart  of  the  man 
before  him. 

"I  do  not  know  you.  I  can  never  have  harmed 
you.  Why  do  you  wish  to  kill  me?  Tell  me — " 
and,  with  a  quick  step  forward,  General  Houston 
gripped  the  man  by  the  throat — "Tell  me  who  paid 
you  to  fire  that  cowardly  shot,  or,  by  the  eternal, 
I'll  choke  the  black  life  out  of  your  red  throat !"  and 
the  muscular  hand  tightened  about  the  writhing 
neck. 

"Mercy,  mercy,  senor !"  gasped  the  man.  "Mercy ! 
I  will  tell  all.  Only  choke  not  the  life  out  of  my 
throat.  Mercy!  I  will  tell  the  great  senor  all." 

"Quick,  then,"  and  General  Houston's  hand 
dropped  from  his  throat.  "Who  hired  you  to  kill 
Sam  Houston?" 

For  a  minute  or  two  the  man  stood  gasping,  lean- 
ing weakly  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  his  eyes 
shifting  swiftly  from  face  to  face  of  the  angry  men 
circling  in  front  of  him,  then  they  again  settled  sul- 
lenly on  the  face  of  General  Houston. 

"Senor,  great  senor,  mercy!"  he  supplicated.  "I 
the  gray  back  of  a  deer  saw  moving  in  the  distant 
brush,  and  shot  quickly.  I  that  it  was  the  great 
senor's  sombrero  knew  it  not.  By  all  the  saints, 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  55 

by  the  Holy  Virgin,  by  all  the  graves  of  my  an- 
cestors, I  swear  I  knew  not  it  was  the  great  sefior. 
I — Mercy,  sefior !  I — I— 

Again  the  hand  of  Houston  caught  him  by  the 
throat  in  a  grip  that  choked  the  breath  out  of  him, 
and  held  him  thus,  gasping  and  writhing  for  a  min- 
ute, and  then,  with  an  oath,  he  hurled  him  to  the 
ground. 

"Pull  the  fangs  out  of  the  reptile,"  he  commanded. 
"Only  a  fool  would  waste  time  trying  to  get  the 
truth  out  of  a  Mexican.  I  will  take  him  to  San 
Felipe,  and  hang  him  there  according  to  law,  unless 
he  turns  state's  evidence  and  tells  who  hired  him  to 
fire  that  shot,"  and  he  stood  silent  while  Deaf  Smith 
roughly  disarmed  the  Mexican. 

"Now,"  and  General  Houston  turned  to  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly  and  Davy  Crockett,  and  Jonas  Gifford,  who 
had  stood  a  little  to  one  side  while  he  was  dealing 
with  the  Mexican,  "Deaf  Smith  and  I  must  be  on 
our  way  to  San  Felipe,  where  I  am  due  to-night. 
We  heard  your  rifle  shots  and  turned  aside  to  see 
who  the  hunters  were ;  and  very  glad  I  am  that  we 
did,  for  it  has  given  me  great  pleasure  to  meet  my 
old  Tennessee  friend,  Colonel  Crockett,  and  to  know 
that  Texas  was  to  have  the  help  of  his  deadly  rifle; 
and,  also,  to  meet  these  two  sturdy  settlers,  who,  I 
am  sure,  will  be  ready  with  their  rifles,  when  Texas 
calls,"  and  his  eyes  rested  admiringly  on  the  giant 
frame  of  Sam  McNelly. 

"The  moment  Santa  Anna  at  the  head  of  an 


56  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

army  steps  on  the  free  soil  of  Texas,  we  are  ready 
to  shoulder  our  rifles  and  to  fight  for  our  homes  and 
our  freedom,"  answered  Sam  McNelly,  his  honest 
face  glowing  with  resolution.  "And,  I  reckon,  one 
American  is  worth  about  a  dozen  cowardly  Greas- 


ers." 


"Two  dozen,  if  he  is  as  big  as  Sam  McNelly," 
laughed  General  Houston. 

"Sam  McNelly!  He,  Big  Sam  McNelly?"  and 
a  gleam  of  venom  shot  from  the  Mexican's  eyes  as 
they  shifted  swiftly  to  the  huge  frame  of  the  back- 
woodsman, and  he  half  started  from  the  ground, 
where  he  had  been  hurled  by  the  powerful  arm  of 
General  Houston;  but,  suddenly  controlling  himself, 
he  sank  back  again  and  glared  sullenly  around. 

"You  know  me !"  and  Sam  McNelly  sprang  to  the 
side  of  the  Mexican,  and,  seizing  him  by  both  his 
shoulders,  closely  scrutinized  his  face  for  a  minute. 
"Well,  that's  more  than  I  can  say  of  you,"  and  he 
let  go  of  the  man  and  straightened  up,  while  a  look 
of  relief  came  on  his  face.  "But  I  will  know  you, 
if  we  ever  meet  again.  Now,"  and  he  towered 
threateningly  over  the  cringing  Mexican,  "why  did 
the  name  of  Sam  McNelly  make  you  jump,  as  if 
someone  had  jabbed  the  point  of  a  knife  into  your 
cowardly  hide?" 

"I  know  not  Sam  McNelly.  But,"  and  the  venom 
again  shot  from  the  Mexican's  eyes,  "I  remember  to 
have  heard  the  name  Big  Sam  McNelly." 

"And  how,  single-handed,  he  whipped  a  dozen  of 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  57 

you  Greasers  one  night  in  San  Felipe  that  he  found 
tormenting  a  young  girl ;  I'll  warrant  you  remember 
that,  too,  Mexico,"  broke  in  Jonas  Gifford. 
"Cracked  the  skulls  of  two  of  your  brave  dons  with 
his  bare  fist,  did  he  not,  Mexico  ?" 

"Si,  senor;  cracked  the  skulls  of  two,"  repeated 
the  Mexican.  "I  remember  to  have  heard — 
Cracked  the  skulls  of  two.  Mexicans  love  a  great 
fighter,  senor." 

"Well,  there  ain't  no  love  in  them  eyes  you  keep 
turning  on  Sam  McNelly;  but,  I  reckon,  Sam  can 
look  out  for  himself,  when  it  comes  to  Greasers," 
and  Jonas  turned  from  the  Mexican  to  where  Sam 
McNelly  and  Davy  Crockett  were  holding  a  whis- 
pered conversation  a  few  feet  away. 

A  minute  or  two  later  Davy  Crockett  turned  to 
Sam  Houston. 

"General,"  he  said,  "if  you'll  just  wait  until  we 
skin  that  last  bear  and  gather  up  the  hides  and  meat 
of  the  other  two,  we'll  ride  with  you  until  you  are 
safely  out  of  the  woods,  as  a  sort  of  an  honorary 
bodyguard,  and  to  prevent  any  more  Mexicans  mis- 
taking your  big  sombrero  for  a  deer's  back  and  tak- 
ing a  pot-shot  at  you,"  and  he  smiled. 

General  Houston,  after  a  short  consultation  with 
Deaf  Smith,  heartily  accepted  their  proffered  com- 
pany; and,  as  speedily  as  possible,  the  skins  of  the 
three  bears  and  such  parts  of  the  flesh  as  they 
wished  for  food  were  carried  to  where  they  had  left 
their  horses,  packed  on  the  animals'  backs;  and  the 


58  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

little  cavalcade  started  for  San  Felipe,  General 
Houston  and  Deaf  Smith  mounted  on  horses  that 
they  had  left  tied  a  short  distance  away,  and  the 
Mexican,  with  his  hands  bound  behind  his  back, 
riding  a  sturdy  little  pony  that  they  had  found 
fastened  to  a  cottonwood  a  short  distance  beyond 
the  place  where  the  dogs  had  treed  the  man.  At 
the  head  rode  Deaf  Smith  and  Davy  Crockett ;  then 
came  General  Houston  and  Sam  McNelly,  with  the 
prisoner  riding  between  them;  while  Jonas  and  the 
two  boys  made  up  the  rear-guard.  The  dogs 
scouted  to  the  front  and  sides,  doubtless  hoping  to 
start  another  bear. 

The  forest  through  which  our  friends  were  riding 
was  absolutely  wild,  just  as  the  great  hand  of  na- 
ture formed  it.  Mighty  trees  towered  high  above 
their  heads,  huge  trunks  lay  rotting  on  the  ground, 
and,  in  places,  they  found  the  underbrush  and  small 
trees  growing  so  thickly  that  they  were  often  com- 
pelled to  turn  aside  in  order  to  find  openings  large 
enough  for  their  horses  to  pass  through. 

Suddenly,  not  a  rod  in  front  of  their  horses'  noses 
and  while  they  were  in  the  midst  of  one  of  these 
thickets  of  small  trees,  Bing,  with  a  startled  yelp 
that  instantly  summoned  every  other  dog  to  his  as- 
sistance, sprang  back  from  an  opening  under  the 
roots  of  a  large  fallen  tree,  into  which  he  had  poked 
an  investigating  nose,  just  in  time  to  avoid  the 
spring  of  an  enraged  mother  panther  that  had  here 
made  her  home.  The  panther  was  furious,  and  in 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  59 

an  instant,  before  a  shot  could  be  fired,  she  had 
leaped  again  and  landed  into  the  midst  of  the  yelp- 
ing, snarling,  growling  dogs,  and  the  whirling  mass 
of  dogs  and  panther  rolled  almost  under  the  terrified 
horses'  heels. 

The  horses  jumped  and  plunged  and  crowded 
madly  together,  insane  with  sudden  fright ;  and  for 
a  minute  it  was  impossible  to  control  them  suffi- 
ciently for  anyone  to  go  to  the  help  of  the  dogs ;  then 
Davy  Crockett  flung  his  bridle  rein  to  Deaf  Smith 
and  leaped  from  his  saddle,  knife  in  hand.  But  by 
this  time  the  dogs  had  had  more  than  enough  of 
panther  fighting,  and,  yelping  and  howling  with 
fright  and  pain  from  the  wounds  made  by  the  teeth 
and  claws  of  the  furious  beast,  they  fled,  just  as 
Crockett's  feet  struck  the  ground;  and,  with  an 
angry  snarl,  the  panther  whirled  and  faced  him, 
crouching  ready  to  spring.  But  that  leap  was  never 
made,  for  at  this  instant  Sam  Houston  fired,  and  the 
panther  sank  to  the  ground,  dead,  a  rifle  ball 
through  her  brain.  As  the  panther  fell  two  half 
grown  cubs  ran  out  of  the  den  under  the  roots  of  the 
fallen  tree,  and  were  instantly  set  upon  by  the  dogs ; 
and  for  a  couple  of  minutes  there  was  the  liveliest 
kind  of  a  fight. 

Trav  and  Tom  and  the  men  sprang  from  their 
horses,  now  become  quiet,  and  crowded  close  around 
the  fighting  animals,  each  one  anxious  to  get  in  a 
blow  that  would  help  the  dogs  finish  the  two  young 
panthers. 


60  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Suddenly  Deaf  Smith  whirled  around. 

"That  cussed  Greaser  has  vamosed !"  he  shouted, 
and  sprang  on  the  back  of  his  horse,  and  dashed  off 
in  the  woods,  following  the  trail  left  by  the  fugitive, 
who  had  cunningly  taken  advantage  of  the  confu- 
sion and  excitement  caused  by  the  sudden  appear- 
ance of  the  panther  to  make  his  escape. 

Instantly  the  fighting  dogs  and  panthers  were  for- 
gotten, and  all  hurriedly  mounted  their  horses,  and 
did  their  best  to  recapture  the  Mexican;  but  even 
Deaf  Smith  soon  lost  the  trail  and  could  not  find  it 
again,  and  they  were  forced  to  give  up  the  search, 
and  continue  on  their  way  to  San  Felipe  without  the 
prisoner. 

"  'Tain't  no  excuse,  that  painter ;  'tain't  no  excuse 
for  five  f ull-growed  white  men  an'  a  couple  of  hefty 
boys  lettin5  a  Greaser  slip  through  their  fingers  as 
slick  as  we  did,"  grumbled  the  old  scout,  as  they 
resumed  their  journey.  "Don't  tell  anyone  what 
id  jits  we've  been.  I'd  never  hear  th'  last  on  it,  if 
'twas  known  that  Deaf  Smith  let  an  ornery  Greaser 
get  away  like  that." 

"Well,  I  reckon,  them  three  panther  pelts  are 
worth  more  than  the  Mexican's  hide  anyhow," 
laughed  Crockett,  who  managed  to  squeeze  a  laugh 
or  a  joke  out  of  everything,  even  disasters. 

"I  wish  I  knew  who  was  back  of  that  shot,"  mused 
General  Houston.  "I  wish  I  knew  who  was  back 
of  that  shot.  Yes,  I  fancy  you  are  right,  Deaf 
Smith.  We'd  better  keep  this  little  adventure  to 


An  Adventure  With  a  Mexican  61 

ourselves.  It  certainly  doesn't  reflect  much  credit 
on  our  vigilance.  But,  you  know,  even  Jove  him- 
self sometimes  nods.  So,  my  friends,  you  will  oblige 
me  by  saying  nothing  of  our  meeting  with  the  slip- 
pery Mexican.  But  now  we  must  hasten  on  our 
way,  or  I  fear  we  shall  not  reach  San  Felipe  to- 
night, and  important  matters  are  awaiting  my  atten- 
tion there,"  and  his  face  clouded.  The  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  Armies  of  Texas  was  not  finding  his 
pathway  strewn  with  roses,  and  was  busy  even  then 
endeavoring  to  turn  aside  the  thorns  growing  on 
friendly  trees  that  threatened  to  wound  Texas  much 
more  seriously  than  did  the  bullets  of  Santa  Anna's 
army. 

The  face  of  Sam  McNelly,  also,  was  clouded  with 
trouble.  He  could  not  forget  the  look  of  malignant 
hatred  that  had  flamed  up  at  him  out  of  the  Mex- 
ican's eyes ;  and  now  the  man  was  free,  and  his  wife 
and  child  and  home  were  unprotected.  He  did  not 
believe  the  cowardly  Mexican  would  dare  to  harm 
them,  at  least  not  that  day ;  and  yet  he  could  not  get 
rid  of  a  feeling  of  uneasiness,  of  dread,  when  he 
thought  of  his  wife  and  Kitty,  sweet  little  Kitty  who 
had  curled  herself  up  so  snugly  in  his  great  loving 
heart,  when  he  thought  of  them  alone  and  unpro- 
tected in  his  lonely  log  cabin.  He  did  not  speak  of 
his  fears;  but,  when  after  an  hour's  ride,  they  passed 
out  of  the  woods  and  came  to  a  road  that  ran 
through  an  open  country  direct  to  San  Felipe,  where 
it  had  been  agreed  that  the  honorary  bodyguard 


62  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

would  be  dismissed,  he  was  excedingly  glad,  for  now 
he  could  hasten  homeward  and  have  his  fears  set  at 
rest  by  the  welcoming  smiles  of  his  wife  and  child. 
"Thank  you,  friends/'  General  Houston  said,  as 
the  little  cavalcade  came  to  a  halt  on  the  road,  "for 
the  protection  and  pleasure  your  company  has 
brought  me;  and,  if  ever  Sam  Houston  can  be  of 
service  to  you,  do  not  hesitate  to  command  him. 
Now  I  must  bid  you  a  hasty  farewell,  for  I  am 
anxious  to  get  to  San  Felipe  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble," and  he  shook  hands  with  all,  and  then  he  and 
Deaf  Smith  galloped  off  down  the  road  toward  San 
Felipe,  both  turning  in  their  saddles  to  wave  them  a 
last  farewell  as  they  passed  out  of  sight  over  the 
brow  of  a  little  hill. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  DAGGER 

"1\JOW  for  home,"  Sam  McNelly  cried,  the  mo- 
1  ^  ment  General  Houston  and  Deaf  Smith 
passed  from  view.  "I'll  feel  better  after  I've  looked 
into  mother's  eyes  and  felt  Kitty's  warm  arms 
around  my  neck.  I  reckon  the  poison  in  that  Greas- 
er's eyes  kinder  got  into  my  blood.  Anyway  I  feel 
mighty  anxious  to  get  home;  so  we'll  just  get  a 
quick  hustle  on  these  beasts,"  and  he  urged  his  horse 
into  a  fast  trot. 

"And  I'm  mighty  anxious  to  show  Kitty-Cat  how 
well  I  kept  my  promise,"  laughed  Crockett,  glancing 
quickly  at  the  troubled  face  of  his  big  friend  and 
urging  on  his  own  horse.  "Two  bearskins?  She 
shall  have  the  three!  Wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  she 
shan't,"  and  his  dark  eyes  softened.  "Seems  'most 
as  if  I  could  see  her  right  now,  dancing  around  that 
big  bearskin  and  exclaiming,  'My,  but  ain't  he  a 
whopper,  Davy !  Ain't  he  a  whopper !'  And  he  is 
a  whopper!  About  the  biggest  bear  I  ever  shot. 
But,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  we'd  be  hunting  bigger 
game  than  bears  and  painters  mighty  soon,  if  what 
General  Sam  says  about  Santa  Anna  is  true,  and  I 
reckon  he  knows,  if  anybody  in  Texas  does." 

63 


64  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Do  you  really  think  we'll  have  to  fight  Mexico  ?" 
Trav  inquired,  riding  up  close  to  the  side  of  Davy 
Crockett.  "Do  you  really  think  Santa  Anna  will 
dare  to  lead  an  army  against  us?"  and  his  young 
face  flushed.  "We  don't  think  much  of  the  courage 
of  Mexicans  down  here.  But,  if  he  should  dare,  if 
he  should  dare  to  try  to  play  the  tyrant  over  us,  we'll 
give  him  all  the  fighting  he  wants,"  and  his  blue 
eyes  glinted.  "We  were  born  free,  and  we  will  live 
free,  or  we  will  die  free." 

"Crickety  crumpets,  what  a  young  fire-eater  we 
have  here !"  grinned  Crockett.  "I  reckon  if  Santa 
Anna  knowed  what  he  was  coming  up  against,  you 
couldn't  pull  him  across  the  boundary  line  with  a 
forty-mule  team  of  elephants.  But,"  and  his  face 
sobered,  "I'm  mighty  proud  to  see  your  dander  flare 
up  when  anybody  or  anything  threatens  the  freedom 
of  your  country.  That's  the  kind  of  boys  and  men 
that'll  make  a  country  great  in  war  and  great  in 
peace.  And,  as  for  Santa  Anna,  seeing  that  he's  a 
sort  of  second  cousin  to  old  Lucifer  himself  from 
all  I  can  hear,  I  reckon  he's  bound  to  come,  just  to 
make  good  his  character  for  devilment.  But,"  and 
his  eyes  glinted,  "he'll  know  more  about  what  real 
Anglo-Saxon,  American,  liberty-loving  grit  is  be- 
fore he  goes  back,  just  as  sure  as  he  fires  a  gun  in 
behalf  of  tyranny  in  Texas." 

"  Tears  to  me  Trav  ain't  the  only  fire-eater  in 
Texas,  Davy,"  smiled  Sam  McNelly.  "But,  I'm 
too  dead  anxious  to  get  home  and  know  for  certain 


The  Message  of  the  Dagger  65 

that  mother  and  Kitty  are  all  right  to  waste  any 
time  talking  about  even  Santa  Anna.  Come  on, 
we'll  give  the  horses  a  gallop  along  this  level  road," 
and,  striking  his  spurs  into  his  horse,  he  galloped 
off  over  a  flat  plain  that  stretched  for  half  a  dozen 
miles  in  front  of  them. 

Trav  and  Tom  glanced  apprehensively  at  the 
faces  of  the  men.  There  was  a  worried,  anxious 
look  on  the  countenance  of  each;  and  their  own 
hearts  sank,  as  they  thought  of  the  scowling,  vin- 
dictive face  of  the  Mexican,  and  what  his  escape 
might  portend  to  the  defenseless  women  and  chil- 
dren at  home,  on  whom  he  might  seek  to  wreak  the 
vengeance  of  his  hatred  against  Sam  McNelly  and 
his  captors.  But  they  were  too  well  versed  in  the 
stern  ways  of  their  fathers  to  ask  any  questions; 
and  rode  on  after  them  in  silence,  until  the  plain  was 
crossed  and  they  had  reached  the  ridge  of  hills  that 
separated  it  from  the  forest  beyond. 

"Now,  in  two  minutes  we'll  know  if  everything  is 
safe  at  home,"  Trav  said,  his  face  whitening,  as 
without  a  moment's  pause  they  galloped  up  the 
ridge.  "From  the  top  we  can  see  our  house.  I — I 
don't  know  what  I  should  do  if — if  anything  had 
happened  to  mother  and  Kitty/'  and  his  voice  trem- 
bled. "Oh,  I  must  hurry !"  and,  in  his  anxiety,  he 
struck  his  horse  violently  with  his  whip,  and,  thus 
urged,  the  animal  leaped  ahead  of  the  others,  and 
reached  the  top  of  the  ridge  first. 

Trav  gave  a  swift  glance  toward  the  spot  where 


66  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

with  so  much  loving  toil  the  little  log  cabin  had  been 
reared ;  and  then,  with  a  glad  yell,  he  whirled  half- 
way around  in  his  saddle. 

"Hurrah!  Hurrah !"  he  shouted  back.  "They 
are  safe!  And  mother  is  getting  supper  ready.  I 
can  see  the  supper-smoke  curling  out  above  the 
chimney/'  and  he  pointed  joyously  to  where  a  half 
a  mile  away,  secure  and  unharmed,  stood  the  little 
log  cabin,  the  smoke  rising  hospitably  above  its 
friendly  roof. 

"Mother  Jane  is  getting  ready  that  table  full  of 
hot  johnny-cake,  I'll  wager  a  coonskin  against  a 
turkey's  feather.  Seems  as  if  I  could  smell  them 
right  now,"  and  Crockett  sniffed  longingly  and 
wrinkled  up  his  face  so  comically  that  both  boys 
laughed  aloud.  It  was  easy  to  laugh  now. 

Sam  McNelly  did  not  say  anything;  but  the  look 
of  relief  that  swept  over  his  anxious  face,  when  his 
eyes  rested  on  the  peaceful  scene,  was  good  to  see, 
and  he  pulled  up  his  horse,  contented  now  to  give 
the  tired  animal  a  rest. 

"Oh,  say,  let's  give  Kitty-Cat  and  Mother  Jane  a 
heap  big  surprise,"  suggested  Davy  Crockett,  as  all 
came  to  a  halt  on  the  top  of  the  ridge,  his  eyes 
sparkling  like  the  eyes  of  an  excited  boy.  "They 
are  not  expecting  us  home  so  early,  and  so  won't  be 
on  the  lookout  for  us ;  and,  if  we  are  careful,  we  can 
tie  our  horses  a  few  rods  from  the  house,  creep  up 
unseen  to  the  door,  and  suddenly  burst  in  upon  them, 
like  a  band  of  yelling  Injuns.  Won't  Kitty-Cat 


The  Message  of  the  Dagger  67 

hop  up  and  down  and  dance  and  yell  and  laugh, 
when  she  sees  us  all  come  tumbling  in  ?  And  won't 
her  eyes  sparkle  and  her  cheeks  grow  red  and 
pretty,  when  I  throw  the  three  bearskins,  the  big 
one  on  top,  down  at  her  feet  ?  Whoopa !  I'm  so  al- 
mighty glad  to  see  that  little  log  cabin  standing 
there  unharmed  and  peaceful-looking  as  a  picture, 
that  I  must  do  something  to  blow  off  steam;  and  I 
reckon  that's  about  the  way  the  rest  of  you  are 
feeling." 

Indeed,  the  sudden  reaction  from  the  keenest 
anxiety  to  the  apparent  certainty  that  the  settler's 
little  home  was  safe  and  sound,  had  been  like  rich 
wine  in  the  veins  of  all  our  friends;  and  all,  like 
Crockett,  felt  as  if  they  must  "do  something  to  blow 
off  steam" ;  and,  consequently,  his  proposal  was  re- 
ceived with  great  favor,  especially  by  Trav  and 
Tom,  and  immediate  preparations  were  made  to 
storm  the  lonely  log  cabin. 

"I'll  bet  a  coonskin  Kitty  spies  us  before  we  reach 
the  door,"  Trav  declared,  as  they  rode  slowly  to- 
ward the  house.  "She  has  the  sharpest  eyes  and 
ears  of  any  girl  in  Texas." 

"I'll  take  you,"  Crockett  replied  promptly. 
"Now,  we'll  tie  our  horses  here,  and  creep  up  around 
behind  the  barn,  and  make  a  silent  rush  from  the 
barn  for  the  door.  Remember,  nobody  must  utter 
a  sound  until  we're  right  smack  up  against  the 
door,"  and  he  jumped  from  his  horse  and  quickly 
tied  him  to  a  tree.  Then  he  gathered  the  three 


68  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

bearskins  in  his  muscular  arms,  and  cautiously  crept 
toward  the  barn,  followed  by  the  others,  who  had 
also  dismounted  and  tied  their  horses. 

Every  moment  they  expected  to  see  the  door  of 
the  log  cabin  flung  open  and  Kitty  come  flying  out; 
but,  not  a  sound  or  a  movement  came  from  the 
house,  and  they  reached  the  barn  unseen. 

"I  reckon  that  coonskin  is  mine,  Trav,"  Crockett 
smiled,  as  the  little  party  halted  for  a  moment  be- 
hind the  barn. 

"Wait/'  answered  the  boy.  "We're  not  to  the 
house  yet.  Kitty  will  hear  us  when  we  make  the 
rush." 

The  barn  was  only  three  or  four  rods  from  the 
house,  and  stood  facing  the  windowless  chimney- 
end  of  the  log  cabin.  Consequently,  if  they  were 
not  heard,  there  was  little  danger  of  their  being  dis- 
covered on  their  way  from  the  barn  to  the  house. 

"Now,"  grinned  Crockett,  his  twinkling  eyes  on 
the  excited  faces  of  the  two  lads,  "listen  to  my  plan 
of  campaign.  We'll  make  a  dash  from  the  barn  to 
the  house-chimney.  Then,  silent  as  Injuns,  we'll 
creep  around  close  to  the  sides  of  the  house  to  the 
door ;  and  then,  when  we're  all  ready,  Trav'll  sud- 
denly throw  open  the  door,  and  I'll  jump  in  with  my 
wildest  war-whoop,  followed  by  the  rest  of  you, 
screeching  like  painters,  and  throw  the  three  bear- 
skins down  at  Kitty-Cat's  feet.  I'll  bet  Mother 
Jane'll  let  out  a  scream  that'll  loosen  the  shingles  on 
the  roof;  and  the  next  instant  be  ready  for  us  with 


The  Message  of  the  Dagger  69 

the  frying-pan  or  stove-poker  or  whatever  weapon 
happens  to  be  within  reach  of  her  hands,"  and 
Crockett  grinned  joyously  at  the  thought  of  Mrs. 
;  McNelly's  chagrin,  when  she  discovered  from  whom 
the  racket  came.  "Ready,  everybody,"  and  he 
crept  cautiously  toward  the  corner  of  the  barn. 
"Go !"  and  away  he  started  for  the  house,  running 
swiftly  but  noiselessly;  and  after  him  came  the  oth- 
ers. 

At  the  chimney  they  paused  for  an  instant  to 
listen.  Not  a  sound  came  from  within  the  house. 

"Must  be  all  asleep,"  grinned  Crockett.  "Now, 
for  the  door.  Remember,  not  a  sound  until  Trav 
throws  open  the  door.  Come  on,"  and  he  cautiously 
stole  around  the  side  of  the  house  to  the  closed 
door. 

At  the  door  they  again  paused  to  listen.  Still  not 
a  sound  came  from  within  the  house. 

"Queer,  mighty  queer,"  thought  Trav,  as  his 
hand  stole  silently  to  the  door-latch. 

Crockett  looked  around,  and  saw  that  all  were 
ready. 

"Now,  let  her  go !"  he  whispered  to  Trav,  hold- 
ing himself  ready  to  bound  into  the  house  the  mo- 
ment the  door  opened. 

Trav  instantly  pushed  up  the  latch,  swung  open 
the  door,  and,  with  a  yell  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  the  most  savage  of  Indians,  Crockett 
leaped  in;  and  after  him  tumbled  the  others  pell- 
mell,  shouting  and  laughing  and  yelling  as  loudly 


70  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  as  fast  as  they  could  make  their  tongues  go. 
But,  suddenly,  the  yell  choked  in  the  throat  of  each, 
and  all  stared  blankly,  with  horrified  eyes,  around 
the  familiar  room. 

The  fire  was  burning  briskly  in  the  wide  fire- 
place. On  the  table  was  a  great  pan  of  johnny-cake 
dough;  and  by  its  side  stood  a  dish  of  half-peeled 
potatoes.  The  knife  lay  on  the  floor,  where  it  had 
been  hastily  dropped,  as  if  the  potato  peeling  had 
been  suddenly  interrupted.  A  torn  apron  hung 
across  one  of  the  rude  chairs.  A  pan  of  milk  had 
been  knocked  off  the  table,  and  had  rolled  half  across 
the  floor,  which  was  still  damp  and  slippery  from 
the  white  fluid.  Everything  else  in  the  room  was 
in  its  accustomed  place. 

"Kitty !— Mother !  My  God,  Crockett,  what  has 
happened  ?"  and  Big  Sam  McNelly  turned  a  face 
white  and  drawn  with  heart-agony  to  Davy  Crock- 
ett. 

Crockett,  without  a  word,  his  own  face  whitening 
and  his  lips  tightening,  pointed  to  the  center  of  the 
table,  where,  its  sharp  blade  thrust  through  a  piece 
of  white  paper  deep  into  the  wood,  stood  a  curi- 
ously-wrought, snake-hilted  Mexican  dagger. 

Sam  McNelly,  with  a  cry  of  anguish,  leaped  to  the 
table,  seized  the  dagger  and  the  piece  of  paper,  and 
read,  scrawled  across  the  white  paper,  these  fateful 
words : 

"He  crack  skull  of  two  Mexicans 
with  big  bare  first;  and  I,  son  and 


The  Message  of  the  Dagger  71 

brother  of  the  two  Mexicans  whose 
skulls  he  crack,  take  wife  and  girl 
for  blood  revenge.  If  follow;  kill. 
If  not  follow ;  not  kill ;  keep  for  slaves 
and  make  do  all  my  dirty  work.  Si, 
senor,  a  Mexican's  arm  is  long  and 
sure,  when  striking  for  revenge. 

"Adios,  senor." 

The  dagger  and  paper  dropped  from  Sam  Me- 
Nelly's  hands;  and  he  pressed  both  palms  tightly 
against  his  forehead,  as  if  he  would  keep  the  an- 
guish within  from  bursting  his  brains. 

Davy  Crockett  stooped  quickly,  and  picked  up  the 
paper,  and  read  it.  Then  he  seized  his  rifle. 

"Sam,"  and  he  laid  a  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  his 
big  friend,  "Sam,  he's  got  Kitty-Cat  and  Mother 
Jane!  Come!"  and,  without  another  word,  he 
leaped  through  the  door. 

The  hands  of  Sam  McNelly  fell  from  his  fore- 
head, and,  with  a  roar  not  unlike  that  of  an  aroused 
lion,  he  caught  up  the  dagger  from  the  floor  and 
thrust  it  in  his  belt,  seized  his  rifle,  and  sprang  after 
Crockett,  his  teeth  set  as  if  in  a  vise  and  the  glitter 
of  cold  steel  in  his  blue  eyes. 

Those  days  bred  stern  men,  who  were  chary  of 
words,  but  quick  with  deeds,  when  the  time  for 
action  came. 

"Father —  What  is  it?  Where  is  Kitty  and 
mother?"  and  Trav,  his  eyes  wild  with  anguish, 
sprang  after  his  father. 


72  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"That  cursed  Greaser  has  got  them!  Get  your 
gun!"  Sam  McNelly  growled  back,  not  pausing  an 
instant  in  his  race  after  Crockett,  who  was  speed- 
ing toward  the  spot  where  the  horses  had  been  tied. 

The  moment  the  horses  were  reached,  Davy 
Crockett  tore  a  saddle  and  bridle  off  one  of  them. 

"These  horses  are  played  out.  We  must  have 
fresh  horses.  Have  you  any?"  and  he  turned 
swiftly  to  Sam  McNelly,  the  saddle  and  bridle  in 
his  arms. 

"Yes,  two.  In  the  wood  pasture.  I  will  show 
you,"  and,  with  quick  hands  Sam  McNelly  pulled 
off  a  saddle  and  a  bridle,  and,  throwing  them  over 
his  shoulder,  ran  toward  the  woods  back  of  the 
barn,  with  Crockett  by  his  side. 

A  hundred  rods  from  the  barn  they  came  to  a  lit- 
tle clearing,  completely  surrounded  by  the  woods 
and  enclosed  by  a  rail  fence;  and  Crockett's  heart 
gave  a  glad  bound  when  he  saw  that  the  two  horses 
quietly  feeding  in  it  were  both  strong  and  speedy- 
looking  animals. 

"Take  the  black.  The  bay  is  mine,"  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly said,  as  the  two  men  sprang  over  the  fence. 

By  the  time  the  horses  were  saddled  and  bridled, 
Trav  came  hurrying  up.  Jonas  Gifford  and  Tom 
had  gone  to  their  own  home  to  see  if  everything  was 
safe  there.  Trav  had  been  crying,  and  his  eyes 
were  still  red  and  his  cheeks  wet. 

"Courage,  Trav.  We'll  have  Kitty-Cat  and 
Mother  Jane  back,  if  horse-flesh  and  man-flesh  can 


The  Message  of  the  Dagger  73 

do  it,"  and  Crockett  laid  a  firm  hand  on  the  boy's 
shoulder.  "Now  is  the  time  to  show  that  you  are 
real  grit.  Better  give  your  horse  a  couple  of  hours' 
rest,  and  then  follow  after  us  with  something  to  eat. 
We've  no  time  to  stop  now  to  provision  up." 

"Davy  is  right,"  and,  stern  and  grim  as  Nemesis, 
Sam  McNelly  towered  above  his  son.  "Start  on 
our  trail  in  a  couple  of  hours.  Jonas  will  let  Tom 
come  with  you,  and  see  to  the  place  while  we're 
away.  Bring  along  an  extra  lot  of  powder  and  ball, 
and  plenty  of  grub.  We  won't  be  back  until — " 
His  voice  choked  and  he  turned  abruptly  and  flung 
himself  in  his  saddle —  "Now,  Davy,"  and,  with 
set  jaws,  he  dug  his  spurs  into  his  horse's  flanks  and 
galloped  off  in  the  direction  he  knew  the  abductors 
must  have  taken — the  way  to  the  nearest  Mexican 
settlement. 


CHAPTER  VI 

IN  THE  BIG  CANEBRAKE 

WHEN  Trav  returned  to  the  house,  after  un- 
saddling and  caring  for  the  horses,  he 
found  Jonas  Gifford  and  his  wife  and  Tom  there. 
Mrs.  Gifford  had  seen  no  one  since  her  husband  and 
Tom  left  her  that  morning,  and  had  not  the  slight- 
est suspicion  that  anything  was  going  amiss  at  her 
neighbor's  until  the  sudden  return  of  Jonas. 

Trav  and  Tom,  aided  by  Jonas  and  his  wife,  at 
once  began  preparing  to  follow  Sam  McNelly  and 
Davy  Crockett;  and,  when  the  two  hours  were  up, 
they  were  ready,  with  blankets  and  food  and  extra 
powder  and  ball  strapped  on  their  horses'  backs  be- 
hind the  saddles.  They  had  no  means  of  knowing 
how  long  they  would  be  gone.  It  might  be  but  for 
a  few  hours,  and  it  might  be  for  days.  Nor  could 
they  tell  what  dangers  they  might  be  called  upon 
to  face.  Yet  few  words  were  spoken  when  the  time 
for  parting  came.  Even  children  were  made  of 
stern  material  in  those  days ;  and  neither  Tom  nor 
Trav  expected  a  "scene"  when  they  said  good-by. 

"I'll  see  that  everything  is  taken  proper  care  of 
until  you  get  back,  and  hurry  everyone  I  can  along 

74 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  75 

after  you  to  help  round-up  them  infernal  Greasers/' 
Jonas  Gifford  said,  as  he  gripped  Trav's  hand  and 
wrung  it  in  silent  sympathy. 

"My  boy,  my  boy,  remember  that  your  mother 
and  sister  are  still  in  God's  keeping.  He  will  pro- 
tect them,"  Mrs.  Gifford  assured  Trav,  as  she  threw 
her  motherly  arms  around  his  neck  and  held  him 
close  for  a  moment.  "All  Mexico  can  not  harm 
them,  unless  it  is  His  will.  .  Keep  up  a  brave  heart, 
my  boy,"  and  she  pressed  a  kiss  on  his  white  lips. 
"For  your  mother's  and  Kitty's  sake,"  she  whis- 
pered, and  turned  to  where  Tom  was  waiting  to  say 
good-by. 

Five  minutes  later  Trav  and  Tom  turned  in  their 
saddles,  at  the  entrance  to  the  woods,  to  wave  a  last 
farewell  to  the  man  and  woman  standing  in  front  of 
the  lonely  little  log  cabin ;  and  then  resolutely  turned 
their  eyes  to  the  trail,  that  led — whither  it  was  well 
neither  boy  could  foresee. 

There  was  now  but  little  over  an  hour  of  the 
day's  sunlight  left,  and,  as  the  boys  were  anxious  to 
get  as  far  as  possible  while  they  had  the  daylight  to 
show  them  the  way,  they  at  once  urged  their  horses 
into  a  gallop  and  rode  rapidly  westward.  There 
was  no  need  of  their  following  directly  the  trail  of 
Davy  Crockett  and  Sam  McNelly.  Five  miles  west 
flowed  the  bridgeless  Brazos  River,  with  but  one 
fordable  crossing  in  fifteen  miles;  and  they  knew, 
from  the  direction  taken  by  the  Mexicans,  that  they 
had  ridden  straight  for  this  crossing,  followed,  of 


76  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

course,  by  Davy  Crockett  and  Sam  McNelly,  so  that 
all  the  boys  had  to  do  was  to  ride  to  this  ford  as 
speedily  as  possible,  where  they  hoped  to  find  some 
message  left  by  the  men  ahead,  telling  them  what 
course  to  take  from  there. 

The  sun  was  a  great  red  ball  of  fire,  hanging  just 
above  the  western  horizon,  when  Trav  and  Tom 
reached  the  ford  of  the  Brazos.  As  they  rode 
down  the  bank  to  the  river,  there  came  a  rush  of 
feet  from  behind,  and,  with  joyful  barks,  Bing 
bounded  and  capered  around  the  two  horsemen. 

'Well,  well,  old  fellow,"  Trav  greeted  him 
heartily,  "I'm  mighty  glad  to  see  you,  though  you 
had  no  business  to  follow  us.  But,  I  know,  I  un- 
derstand; you,  too,  were  lonesome;  you,  too,  wanted 
to  help  find  mother  and  Kitty,"  and  Trav  swallowed 
hard.  "I — 1  won't  send  you  back.  You  shall  go 
with  us,  Bing,  old  boy." 

Bing  showed  his  joyous  approval  of  this  decision 
by  nearly  knocking  Trav  off  his  horse's  back,  in 
his  wild  efforts  to  thank  him,  dog-fashion,  by  leap- 
ing up  to  Ikk  his  face ;  and  then  at  once  became  his 
usual  dignified  self,  and  trotted  soberly  along  by 
his  master's  side  down  to  the  river. 

"There,  there's  word  for  us !"  Tom  cried,  as  they 
were  about  to  enter  the  water,  and,  jumping  from 
his  horse,  he  ran  to  where  a  sheet  of  white  paper, 
torn  from  a  blank  book,  was  thrust  through  the 
split  end  of  a  stick,  which  was  stuck  up  in  the  sand 
in  the  edge  of  the  river  bank. 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  77 

On  the  paper  was  scrawled,  in  a  hand  the  boys 
had  some  difficulty  in  reading,  these  words : 

"To  TRAV  McNELLY- 

"The  Greasers  crossed  here  about 
two  hours  ahead  of  us.  Your  dad  is 
sure  they're  bound  for  the  Mexican 
settlement  at  San  Antonio;  but  we'll 
get  them  before  they  get  there,  as 
sure  as  my  name  is  Davy  Crockett. 
Keep  straight  on  west  until  you  reach 
the  Colorado  River,  where  we'll  wait 
for  you  at  Mullen's  Ford,  unless 
we're  hot  on  the  trail  of  the  vermints ; 
but  it  looks  now  as  if  they  had  too 
much  the  start  for  us  to  catch  them 
before  night,  and  we  can't  follow  the 
trail  in  the  dark.  But  we'll  push 
right  on  as  far  as  the  Colorado, 
where  we'll  camp  and  wait  for  you 
and  the  friends  that  Jonas  is  going  to 
arouse  and  hurry  after  us.  Try  to 
reach  the  Colorado  by  morning  sure. 
Don't  stop  for  the  dark,  as  long  as 
you  can  see  to  keep  going  west.  Just 
found  a  piece  of  Kitty-Cat's  dress,  so 
we  know  we're  on  the  right  trail. 
Keep  up  your  pluck,  and  we'll  land 
on  them  Greasers  yet  like  a  ton  of 
bobcats.  Wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  we 
don't !  DAVY  CROCKETT." 


78  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Trav,  with  Tom  looking  anxiously  over  his 
shoulder,  read  this  note  aloud;  and  when  he  had 
finished  he  turned  to  Tom,  his  young  face  hard  and 
white. 

"It's  a  good  thirty  miles  to  Mullen's  Ford,  and 
we've  got  to  make  it  to-night,"  he  said,  his  jaws 
coming  together  firmly.  "We've  got  to  make  it  to- 
night, dark  or  no  dark,  Tom.  We  must  not  delay 
Davy  and  father  a  moment ;  but  be  at  Mullen's  Ford 
sure  by  daylight,  so  that  they  can  keep  right  on 
after  them — them  Mexican  curs.  Oh,  but  I  wish 
Deaf  Smith  hadn't  pulled  down  your  rifle,  and  you'd 
shot  the  cowardly  skunk,  while  we  had  him  treed ! 
Think  what  it  would  have  saved  us,  and  mother 
and  Kitty!"  and  his  voice  shook.  "Come  on. 
We've  no  time  to  waste/'  and  he  flung  himself 
fiercely  into  his  saddle,  and  urged  his  horse  into  the 
water,  and  soon,  with  Tom  riding  close  by  his  side, 
was  galloping  westward  beyond  the  Brazos. 

Bear  in  mind  that  this  was  at  the  time  when  all 
Texas,  with  here  and  there  an  oasis  of  civilization, 
was  a  vast  roadless,  bridgeless,  houseless,  shelter- 
less wilderness,  where  a  man  might  ride  for  days 
and  never  once  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  human  being, 
nor  see  a  mark  made  by  the  hands  of  man,  save  the 
trails  of  wandering  Indians  and  the  scattered  ashes 
of  their  camp-fires ;  keep  this  wild  condition  of  the 
country  well  in  your  mind,  my  boys,  I  say,  when  you 
think  of  the  long,  lonely  and  dark  ride  now  before 
our  two  young  friends,  Trav  and  Tom;  and  then 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  79 

you  will  be  able  to  understand  something  of  the 
endurance  and  self-reliance  and  courage  and  pluck 
that  had  been  bred  into  their  young  bodies  and 
minds  to  enable  them  to  start  on  such  a  ride, 
through  such  a  country,  during  the  dark  hours  of 
the  night,  without  a  moment's  hesitation  or  a  cow- 
ardly thought  of  self.  They  were  heroes;  but  they 
did  not  know  it — the  best  kind  of  heroes ;  and  they 
would  have  considered  any  man  or  boy,  who  re- 
fused to  take  such  a  ride,  however  perilous  to  self, 
under  such  circumstances,  a  most  shameful  coward. 
Truly,  this,  the  pioneer  age,  was  America's  heroic 
age. 

In  half  an  hour  after  leaving  the  Brazos  the  sun 
had  sunk  out  of  sight,  and  the  darkness  of  night 
was  gathering  swiftly;  but  Trav  and  Tom  did  not 
even  slacken  the  speed  of  their  horses.  Every  mo- 
ment of  daylight  was  precious.  In  an  hour  it  was 
dark;  but,  fortunately,  the  skies  were  clear,  and, 
like  the  compassless  mariner  on  the  ocean,  they 
could  steer  their  course  by  the  stars.  There  was  no 
road,  no  marks  of  any  kind  to  guide  them.  All 
they  could  do  was  to  keep  moving  westward,  ever 
westward,  galloping  swiftly  over  stretches  of  tree- 
less plains,  stealing  cautiously  through  the  dark 
shadows  of  great  forests,  splashing  hurriedly  across 
muddy  creeks,  always  with  watchful  eyes  on  the 
stars  and  the  surrounding  darkness,  and  ears 
keenly  alert  to  catch  every  sound.  They  did  no 
talking,  seldom  spoke,  except  to  their  horses.  Their 


8o  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

eyes  and  ears  and  minds  were  too  busy  to  be  dis- 
tracted by  talking.  Sons  of  the  wilderness,  they 
knew  only  too  well  the  dangers  of  the  wilderness, 
doubled  now  by  the  darkness,  and  the  need  of 
ceaseless  vigilance  to  guard  against  them,  if  they 
would  ride  through  the  night  to  the  waters  of  the 
Colorado. 

Thus,  hour  after  hour,  side  by  side,  rode  the  two 
boys,  with  faithful  Bing,  now  running  a  little  ahead, 
now  falling  a  little  behind,  but  always  keeping 
close  to  the  horses,  and  frequently  glancing  up  into 
his  master's  face,  as  if  seeking  to  discover  the  rea- 
son for  this  perilous  night  ride.  The  wolves 
howled  threateningly  from  the  surrounding  dark- 
ness, a  panther's  scream  rang  shiveringly  through 
the  night  air,  a  wildcat  yelled  from  a  tree  above 
their  heads;  but  the  boys  gave  these  sounds,  ter- 
rifying to  unaccustomed  ears,  hardly  a  thought,  and 
rode  steadily  on,  fearful  only  that  they  might  not 
reach  the  Colorado  by  morning,  and  thus  delay  the 
pursuit  of  the  Mexicans  and  the  rescue  of  Kitty  and 
her  mother. 

A  little  after  midnight  they  came  to  one  of  those 
impenetrable  canebrakes,  already  described  in  the 
first  chapter  of  the  book,  stretching  darkly  to  the 
north  and  to  the  south  of  them,  and  with  no  visible 
pathway  through  it.  They  rode  a  few  rods  to  the 
south  along  the  edge  of  the  canebrake,  but  found  no 
opening.  Then  they  turned  about  and  rode  to  the 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  81 

north,  but  still  they  could  discover  no  sign  of  a 
passageway. 

"We  have  got  to  get  through,"  Trav  said,  halt- 
ing and  glaring  at  the  obstruction,  "if  we  have  to 
cut  our  way  through.  This  must  be  the  Big  Cane- 
brake  of  Canebrake  Creek,  and,  if  so,  it  is  only 
about  a  mile  wide,  but  more  than  twenty  miles 
long.  We've  got  to  get  through  it.  We  can't 
take  the  time  to  go  around  it.  There  must  be  a 
passage  somewhere.  Let's  get  off  our  horses  and 
hunt.  It's  too  dark  to  see  well  from  the  saddle," 
and  he  sprang  to  the  ground. 

Tom  promptly  agreed  to  Trav's  suggestion,  and 
the  two  boys  at  once  fastened  their  horses,  and  began 
an  anxious  search  for  a  way  through  the  cane- 
brake,  Bing  searching  eagerly  with  them. 

Suddenly  the  dog  began  sniffing  about  excitedly 
on  the  ground,  and  then,  turning  his  head  to  the 
two  boys,  who  were  a  few  feet  behind  him,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "Just  see  what  my  superior  senses  have 
enabled  me  to  discover,"  he  uttered  a  joyful  yelp 
and  bounded  away  into  the  darkness.  In  a  moment 
he  came  dashing  back,  and,  rushing  up  to  Trav, 
gave  a  few  glad  barks,  and  darted  away  into  the 
darkness  again. 

"What  do  you  suppose  has  got  into  Bing?"  and 
Trav  turned  anxiously  to  Tom.  "He's  acting 
mighty  queer.  Just  as  if  he'd  got  on  the  scent  of 
someone  he  knew  and  liked.  He  couldn't,"  and 


82  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Trav  caught  his  breath  at  the  thought.  "He 
couldn't  have  found  the  trail  of  mother  and  Kitty ! 
Come  on !  Let's  follow  him,  quick,"  and  Trav  hur- 
ried after  the  dog. 

Before  he  had  taken  a  dozen  steps  Bing  came 
running  back,  his  hair  on  end  and  growling  sav- 
agely, yet  still  acting  as  if  he  was  anxious  for  the 
boys  to  follow  him,  but  fearful  of  getting  beyond 
their  protection. 

"What  is  it,  old  fellow?  What  is  it?"  and  Trav 
stroked  the  head  of  the  dog  affectionately.  "What 
have  you  found  ?  What  has  frightened  you  ?" 

In  answer,  Bing  whined  and  growled  and  again 
started  off  in  the  darkness,  but  this  time  he  kept 
only  a  few  feet  in  advance  of  his  master,  and  was 
constantly  glancing  back  to  see  that  he  was  being 
followed. 

"Come  on,"  Trav  whispered  excitedly,  "Bing  has 
surely  scented  something  that  needs  looking  into. 
He's  no  fool,  that  dog." 

"But,  we  must  be  careful,"  cautioned  Tom.  "We 
don't  want  to  run  ker-slap  into  them  Mexicans; 
and  it  looks  from  the  way  Bing  acts  as  if  there 
might  be  enemies  as  well  as  friends  ahead  of  us. 
Better  call  him  back  and  hold  on  to  him,  so  as  to 
keep  him  quiet,  or  he'll  let  all  creation  know  that 
we're  coming." 

Trav  saw  at  once  the  wisdom  of  Tom's  caution, 
and,  calling  Bing  back,  he  held  him  by  the  collar, 
while  they  continued  to  advance  as  cautiously  and 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  83 

as  noiselessly  as  possible  through  the  darkness, 
allowing  the  dog  to  show  them  the  way. 

They  had  gone  but  a  few  yards  when  Bing  turned 
suddenly  directly  toward  the  canebrake,  and  began 
trying  to  push  his  body  in  between  the  tall  canes, 
whining  appealingly  to  the  two  boys  as  he  did  so. 

"Come,  come,  old  boy;  we  can't  go  in  there. 
Your  smeller  surely  must  be  wrong  now.  Come/' 
and  Trav  tried  to  pull  Bing  away,  but  only  suc- 
ceeded in  making  him  strive  all  the  harder  to  make 
an  entrance  into  the  canebrake.  "You  old  fool, 
nothing  bigger  than  a  coon  could  have  gone  in 
there,  and  we  ain't  looking  for  coons  to-night. 
Come,"  and  the  impatient  boy  gave  a  violent  jerk  on 
the  collar,  just  as  Bing  had  crowded  his  body  half- 
way in  between  two  large  canes ;  and,  to  his  surprise, 
both  canes  came  tumbling  down  on  top  of  him. 

"They've  both  been  sharpened  and  stuck  into  the 
ground,"  Tom  whispered  excitedly,  feeling  of  the 
ground-ends  of  the  two  canes.  "Somebody's 
plugged  up  the  opening  by  sticking  a  lot  of  canes 
up  in  the  ground/'  and,  to  verify  his  conjecture, 
he  began  pulling  violently  at  the  canes  in  front  of 
him,  and  brought  down  half  a  dozen  of  them  on 
top  of  him. 

"You're  right,"  whispered  Trav,  joining  ex- 
citedly in  the  pulling  down  of  the  canes.  "I'll  bet 
the  Mexicans  did  this  to  throw  us  off  the  trail.  In 
the  dark  nobody  would  imagine  there  was  an  open- 
ing here,  and  it  must  have  been  dark  when  dad 


84  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  Davy  got  here.  What  if  we  should  find  mother 
and  Kitty  and  their  captors  camped  in  the  cane- 
brake?" 

"We'd  rescue  them,"  Tom  declared,  his  eyes 
sparkling  in  the  darkness.  "We'd  rescue  them, 
Trav,"  and  he  gripped  his  rifle  hard.  "Hurry," 
and  he  began  working  on  the  canes  with  renewed 
vigor. 

In  five  minutes  more  they  had  pulled  the  last  of 
the  "planted"  canes  out  of  the  ground,  and  the 
dark  opening  of  a  narrow  passageway,  running 
into  the  blackness  of  the  canebrake,  appeared  be- 
fore them,  like  the  opening  to  a  long  narrow 
cavern.  The  surrounding  canes,  meeting  in  an 
arch  at  the  top,  shut  out  the  little  light  the  stars 
afforded,  so  that  within  the  passageway  they  could 
barely  see  their  hand  when  held  within  six  inches 
of  their  eyes. 

Bing  darted  into  the  opening,  and,  in  a  second, 
came  flying  back,  growling  savagely  and  with  his 
hair  standing  on  end,  yet  the  moment  he  felt  Trav's 
hand  on  his  collar,  he  began  whining  appealingly 
and  pulling  toward  the  black  depths  before  them. 

For  an  instant  both  boys  hesitated,  and  each 
turned  inquiring  eyes  toward  the  other.  They  well 
knew  the  perils  that  might  lie  in  wait  for  them 
within  that  dark  cavern  of  canes.  Wolves  or 
bears  or  panthers  might  be  coming  through  it,  and 
meet  them  in  the  darkness  of  the  narrow  space;  and 
then  there  was  the  dreadful  thought  that  yonder 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  85 

in  the  blackness  somewhere  the  Mexicans  might  be 
waiting  to  spring  upon  them. 

"For  Kitty's  sake,"  and  Tom  reached  out  a  hand 
in  the  darkness  and  gripped  Trav's  hand. 

"For  mother's  and  Kitty's  sake,"  responded 
Trav,  returning  the  grip  with  interest.  "Now  let 
us  go  forward  cautiously  until  we  come  to  Cane- 
brake  Creek,  then,  if  the  way  is  clear,  we  can  re- 
turn and  get  our  horses.  Come,  Bing,  on/'  and 
Trav  pointed  into  the  black  opening. 

But  Bing  slunk  back  close  up  to  his  master's 
legs,  and  bristled  up  his  hair,  and  growled  deep 
down  in  his  throat,  and  refused  to  go  on  ahead, 
yet  he  sniffed  at  the  ground,  and  whined,  and 
looked  up  appealingly,  as  if  urging  the  boys  to  go 
on. 

"All  right,  old  boy.  We'll  go  first,"  Trav  whis- 
pered. "Come,  Tom,  let's  touch  elbows,"  and 
thus,  elbow  touching  elbow,  the  two  brave  lads  en- 
tered the  dark  passageway,  moving  as  silently  as 
possible,  and  holding  their  cocked  rifles  so  that  they 
could  instantly  throw  them  to  their  shoulders,  if 
there  were  need. 

Above  their  heads  the  tall  canes  creaked  and 
moaned  and  rustled  their  leaves  mysteriously,  as 
the  night  winds  stirred  their  tops;  and  more  than 
once  the  boys  stopped  in  shuddering  dread  to  listen 
anxiously,  so  exactly  did  the  rustling  sound  to  their 
ears  like  the  low  whisperings  of  men. 

Bing  walked  between  the  two  boys,  and  Trav 


86  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

every  now  and  then  had  to  lay  a  hand  on  his  head 
to  silence  his  low  growlings.  Suddenly,  with  a 
furious  bark,  he  leaped  a  dozen  feet  ahead  of  the 
boys,  and  then  slowly  backed,  growling  and  snarl- 
ing, to  where  they  stood  listening  anxiously,  their 
hearts  thumping  violently  and  their  eyes  straining 
in  vain  to  pierce  the  darkness  ahead. 

For  many  minutes  the  boys  stood  silent,  not  ven- 
turing to  make  the  slightest  movement,  hardly 
daring  to  breathe  aloud;  but  not  a  sound  reached 
their  ears,  save  that  made  by  the  canes  swaying  in 
the  wind  above  their  heads. 

"I  don't  believe  there  is  anything  there.  Bing 
must  be  getting  desperate  nervous,"  Trav  whis- 
pered. "Are  you  ready  to  go  on,  Tom?" 

"Yes,  but  go  slow,"  Tom  answered.  "I — Ah ! — 
Look  out !" 

At  that  instant  the  darkness  immediately  in  front 
of  them  seemed  full  of  moving  arms  and  bodies; 
and,  before  either  boy  could  raise  his  rifle  or  strike 
a  blow  in  his  defense,  he  found  his  head  and  shoul- 
ders and  arms  enveloped  in  the  folds  of  a  huge 
blanket,  and  strong  arms  pressing  the  blanket  so 
tightly  around  him,  that,  in  a  moment  more,  he  was 
absolutely  helpless  and  at  the  mercy  of  his  captors. 

Brave  Bing  had  leaped  furiously  at  the  assail- 
ants of  his  master;  but,  he,  too,  had  been  met  with 
a  blanket,  and  in  a  moment  was  rolling  helpless  in 
its  folds  on  the  ground. 

Their  captors  at  once  and  without  speaking  a 


In  the  Big  Canebrake  87 

word,  began  rapidly  winding  ropes  around  their 
muffled  bodies,  binding  their  hands  so  tightly  to 
their  sides  that  they  could  not  move  them  an  inch, 
and  continuing  the  rope-winding  process  down 
their  legs  to  the  ankles,  until  the  two  boys  were 
almost  as  tightly  trussed  up  as  a  pair  of  Egyptian 
mummies.  This  done,  one  of  the  men  spoke  a 
word  of  command  in  Spanish;  and,  with  as  little 
ceremony  as  if  they  had  been  a  couple  of  bags  of 
wheat,  Trav  and  Tom  felt  themselves  lifted  from 
the  ground,  and  tossed  on  the  shoulders  of  two  men, 
who  at  once  set  off  with  their  living  burdens,  walk- 
ing swiftly  for  perhaps  ten  minutes,  when  they 
stopped  suddenly  and,  again  as  if  they  had  been 
senseless  bags  of  wheat,  dropped  both  boys  on  the 
ground,  where  they  lay  helpless  and  half-suffocated 
by  the  tightly-wound  folds  of  the  blankets. 


CHAPTER  VII 

ANDREAS  VASQUEZ 

SO  far  Trav  and  Tom  had  not  uttered  a  word, 
after  their  first  exclamations  of  surprise.  In- 
deed, so  sudden  and  in  such  an  unexpected  manner 
had  the  onset  been  made,  that  neither  boy  had  yet 
quite  recovered  from  the  astonishment  into  which 
this  sudden  transformation  of  himself  into  an 
Egyptian  mummy  had  thrown  him ;  and  he  was  still 
in  a  half-dazed  condition  of  mind,  when  the  sud- 
den jar  of  his  body  striking  the  ground,  as  he  was 
roughly  tumbled  from  the  shoulder  of  one  of  his 
captors,  knocked  the  wits  back  into  his  head. 

Trav,  after  the  jar,  which,  as  I  have  said, 
brought  each  lad  suddenly  back  to  a  realization  of 
his  situation,  lay  for  a  few  minutes  listening  in- 
tently. Of  course  the  blanket  prevented  him  from 
seeing  anything;  but  he  could  still  hear,  although 
the  heavy  cloth  deadened  the  sounds  before  they 
reached  his  ears.  Four  or  five  men  were  talking 
excitedly  in  Spanish  a  few  feet  from  him.  Unfor- 
tunately he  could  not  understand  a  word  of  Span- 
ish, but  he  knew  from  the  tones  of  their  voices  that 
they  were  greatly  excited,  and  he  rightly  judged 
that  he  and  Tom  were  the  subjects  of  discussion. 


Andreas  Vasquez  89 

He  strained  his  ears  in  an  anxious  effort  to  hear 
something  that  might  tell  him  the  fate  of  Tom; 
but  in  vain.  Not  a  sound  of  his  comrade  reached 
his  ears.  Perhaps  he  had  been  hurt,  possibly 
killed !  Trav  shuddered  at  the  thought.  He  must 
find  out  something. 

"Tom!  Tom!"  he  called  softly,  unable  to  endure 
the  suspense  longer. 

There  was  no  reply. 

"Tom!  Tom!"  he  yelled  loudly,  the  sickening 
clutch  of  a  great  fear  on  his  heart.  "If  you  are 
alive  and  all  right,  ans — " 

The  toe  of  a  boot  struck  him  in  the  ribs,  and 
stopped  his  voice  in  the  midst  of  a  word. 

"Shut  up !"  and  again  the  toe  of  the  boot  struck 
the  ribs,  followed  by  a  string  of  Mexican  and  Eng- 
lish oaths. 

But  Trav  had  not  suffered  in  vain;  for,  muffled 
yet  sounding  not  more  than  a  dozen  feet  away,  the 
cheery  voice  of  Tom  responded :  "Sound  as  a  dol- 
lar, and  trussed  up  tighter  than  an  Egyptian 
mummy." 

"Same  here,"  Trav  called  back  joyfully,  regard- 
less of  the  prodding  boot-toe  that  again  found  his 
ribs. 

A  few  minutes  later  both  boys  were  again  shoul- 
dered, and  borne  some  twenty  rods  farther,  when 
they  were  once  more  roughly  tumbled  to  the  ground. 
But  now,  to  their  delight,  the  ropes  were  untied  and 
unwound  from  their  bodies,  and  the  blanket  pulled 


go  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

off  their  heads.  The  moment  they  were  free  from 
the  blanket  and  ropes,  two  men  stepped  up  to 
where  they  lay,  whirled  them  over  on  their  stom- 
achs, and,  seizing  hold  of  their  arms,  pulled  their 
hands  up  behind  their  backs,  and  tied  the  wrists 
tightly  together  with  thongs  of  deerskin.  They 
were  now  allowed  to  rise  to  their  feet  and  to  look 
around  them. 

A  dozen  yards  away  a  huge  camp-fire  glowed 
redly,  and  its  ruddy  light  illuminated  the  wild 
scene  sufficiently  for  Trav  and  Tom  to  make  out 
quite  clearly  their  immediate  surroundings. 

Near  the  center  of  a  large  circular  opening  in 
the  surrounding  canebrake,  that,  apparently,  had 
been  made  by  cutting  and  carrying  away  the  canes, 
burned  the  camp-fire;  and  before  this  fire,  with 
their  backs  turned  toward  them,  stood  two  persons 
upon  whom  the  eyes  of  Trav  and  Tom  fixed  them- 
selves to  the  exclusion  of  everything  else. 

"Mother!— Kitty!"  and  Trav  started  eagerly  to- 
ward the  fire,  to  be  stopped  abruptly  by  a  hand 
thrust  roughly  on  his  breast. 

"No,  no,  sefior,"  and  the  smiling  face — it  was 
smiling  now — of  the  Mexican  they  had  so  dra- 
matically captured  that  day  in  the  woods,  thrust 
itself  in  front  of  Trav.  "No,  no,  sefior.  You  my 
servants  must  not  trouble.  Food  they  cook  for  me 
and  my  men,  who  are  hungry,  after  a  struggle  so 
fierce  with  the  young  senors,"  and  the  evil  face 
grinned  malignantly  not  a  foot  from  Trav's  flashing 


Andreas  Vasquez  91 

eyes.  It  was  well  for  the  Mexican  that  the  angry 
boy's  fists  were  strongly  bound  behind  his  back. 

At  the  sound  of  Trav's  voice,  Mrs.  McNelly,  for 
it  was  Kitty  and  her  mother  who  stood  before  the 
fire,  started  so  suddenly  that  she  dropped  the  chunk 
of  venison  she  was  roasting  on  the  end  of  a  long 
stick  into  the  fire,  and  whirled  quickly  around. 

"Trav!  Trav!"  and  with  outstretched  arms  she 
started  toward  her  boy;  but,  before  she  had  taken 
two  steps,  a  rough  hand  seized  her  and  pulled  her 
violently  back.  At  the  same  time  the  owner  of 
the  hand,  a  great  brutal-looking  Mexican,  stooped, 
and,  with  the -other  hand,  caught  up  a  whip  from 
the  ground,  and,  pointing  angrily  to  the  meat  in  the 
fire,  shook  the  whip  threateningly  into  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly's  face. 

For  an  instant  Mrs.  McNelly  faced  the  brute, 
her  eyes  flashing  defiance.  Then,  as  she  thought 
of  what  the  result  of  her  defiance  might  be,  not  only 
to  herself  but  to  Kitty  and  the  boys,  she  scornfully 
turned  her  back  on  the  Mexican  and  returned  to 
her  meat  and  the  fire,  where  Kitty,  who  had  also 
started  to  run  to  the  boys  and  had  been  rudely 
forced  back,  stood  white  and  angry,  looking  as  if 
she  were  about  to  fling  herself  upon  the  Mexican 
standing  between  her  and  Trav  and  Tom. 

"Put  the  brakes  on,  Kitty.  Put  the  brakes  on 
your  temper,"  Mrs.  McNelly  cautioned  in  a  low 
voice,  as  she  stooped  to  take  the  chunk  of  venison 
out  of  the  coals.  "  Twon't  do  a  mite  of  good,  but 


92  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

stacks  of  harm,  to  get  mad.  The  capture  of  the 
boys  shows  that  Sam  and  Davy  are  on  our  trail. 
Shouldn't  wonder  if  they'd  even  let  themselves  be 
caught  on  purpose,  just  to  cheer  us  up  and  to  let 
us  know  how  near  rescue  is.  Now,  just  show 
these  dirty  Greasers  what  sort  of  pluck  and  grit  is 
in  American  girls.  Our  turn  will  come,  never  fear, 
when  Sam  and  Davy — Ugh — " 

One  of  the  Mexicans  at  this  moment  had  stepped 
up  behind  Mrs.  McNelly,  and  roughly  clapped  a 
dirty  brown  hand  over  her  mouth,  which  was  polite 
Mexican  for  "Shut  up,"  an  ugly  grin  on  his  face; 
but,  with  ludicrous  suddenness,  the  grin  became  a 
spasm  of  pain,  as,  with  a  howl  that  could  have  been 
heard  for  half  a  mile,  he  jerked  his  hand  away  from 
Mrs.  McNelly's  mouth,  and,  seizing  hold  of  the  fin- 
gers with  the  other  hand,  began  dancing  up  and 
down,  howling  with  pain  and  cursing  with  rage. 

"Then  keep  your  dirty  paw  off  my  mouth,"  and 
Mrs.  McNelly  straightened  up  with  a  jerk,  and, 
whirling  about,  thrust  the  sizzling  chunk  of  hot 
meat  at  the  end  of  the  stick  she  was  holding  to  the 
fire  into  the  Mexican's  face. 

With  a  yell  the  man  leaped  backward,  but 
not  until  a  goodly-sized  drop  of  boiling  hot 
grease  had  landed  on  the  end  of  his  nose,  struck 
his  heels  against  a  cane  stub,  and  went  over  back- 
ward, flat  on  his  back,  the  richer  by  a  couple  of 
bitten  fingers,  a  burnt  nose,  and  a  bad  fall,  for  his 
encounter  with  Mrs.  McNelly. 


Mrs.  McNelly  thrust  the  sizzling  hot  meat  into  the  Mexican's  face. 


Andreas  Vasquez  93 

Fortunately  for  this  strenuous  advocate  of  pa- 
tience, the  other  Mexicans  had  the  saving  grace  of 
humor,  and  greeted  the  startling  and  ludicrous 
overthrow  of  their  comrade  with  wild  yells  of 
laughter ;  and  when  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  face 
glowering  with  rage,  and  would  have  sprung  upon 
Mrs.  McNelly,  they  caught  hold  of  him,  and,  point- 
ing to  his  burnt  nose  and  bleeding  fingers  and  still 
screaming  with  laughter,  pulled  him  back  and  held 
him.  The  scene  had  been  too  ludicrous  to  be 
spoilt  now  by  any  after  brutality ;  and  even  a  Mexi- 
can had  sense  enough  to  see  this. 

"There,"  and  Mrs.  McNelly  turned  a  bit  crest- 
fallen to  Kitty,  "you  see  what  comes  from  losing 
one's  temper.  I  suppose  I've  made  that  man  my 
mortal  enemy  for  life;  but  I  don't  believe  he'll  ever 
put  his  dirty  paw  against  my  mouth  again, 
and  there's  some  consolation  in  that,"  and 
again  Mrs.  McNelly  returned  to  her  meat  and  the 
fire. 

Trav  and  Tom  had  been  intensely  interested  wit- 
nesses of  this  exciting  scene;  but,  so  suddenly  had 
the  denouement  occurred,  that  it  was  all  over  and 
the  Mexican  sprawling  on  his  back  on  the  ground, 
before  either  lad  really  understood  just  what  had 
happened.  Both  had  started,  even  bound  as  they 
were,  to  rush  to  Mrs.  McNelly's  assistance,  but 
now,  when  they  saw  that  all  the  Mexicans,  except 
the  victim,  were  making  a  huge  joke  out  of  the 
matter,  they  were  only  too  glad  to  let  well  enough 


, 


94  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

alone,  and  made  no  further  efforts  for  the  present 
to  reach  Kitty  and  her  mother. 

"Si,  sefior,"  and  the  smiling-faced  Mexican, 
whose  eyes  had  shifted  to  Mrs.  McNelly  during 
the  excitement  of  the  scene  just  described,  again 
turned  to  Trav,  "Andreas  Vasquez  not  your  pris- 
oner now.  You  his  prisoner.  When  he  your 
prisoner,  you  laugh,  call  him  coward,  tree  him  like 
bear,  insult  the  honor  of  his  long-glorious  name. 
But  he  fool  American  pigs — Pooh,  so  easy!  He 
escape.  The  God  of  his  fathers  points  out  road  to 
vengeance — the  way  to  house  of  Big  Sam  McNelly, 
who  kill  his  father  and  brother — crack  skulls 
with  bare  fist.  He  go  to  house  to  capture  wife  and 
girl — pooh,  so  easy!  Just  throw  blankets  over 
heads  when  not  looking  and  walk  off  with.  Ameri- 
can pigs  so — so  big  fool.  No  got  brains  like  cun- 
ning Mexican.  American  pigs  try  follow  Mexican 
trail ;  but,  again  he  fool,  so  easy.  He  hide  in  cane- 
brake,  safe,  while  big  pig  and  long  pig  go  grunt- 
ing by.  Then  come  young  pigs,  and  walk  in  Mexi- 
can trap,  like  fool  rabbit;  and  he  throw  blankets 
over  heads  and  capture — pooh,  so  easy!  Now," 
and  the  smile  left  his  evil  face  and  the  poison-look 
came  into  his  eyes,  "Andreas  Vasquez  show  big 
Sam  McNelly,  who  crack  Mexican  skulls  with  bare 
fist,  how  long  and  deadly  is  arm  of  Mexican  ven- 
geance," and  the  eyes  that  looked  into  Trav's  glit- 
tered like  the  eyes  of  a  snake  about  to  strike. 
"He,  my  good  noble  father,  my  brave  brother,  kill. 


Andreas  Vasquez  95 

I,  his  wife,  his  girl,  his  boy,  take.  No  kill;  oh, 
no.  Mexican  vengeance  too  cunning.  Make  him 
suffer  long.  Make  him  suffer  alone.  Make  wife 
and  girl  and  boy  suffer.  Make  all  suffer.  For 
skulls  he  crack,  I  crack  hearts.  Never,  never — " 
His  voice  rose,  his  clenched  hands  gesticulated 
fiercely — "Never,  never  wife  or  girl  or  boy  shall 
Big  Sam  McNelly  again  see.  I,  Andreas  Vas- 
quez, swear  it." 

For  a  moment  the  Mexican  looked  so  fierce  and 
threatening  that  Trav  feared  he  was  about  to 
strike;  but,  in  a  minute,  the  violence  of  the  gust  of 
passion  had  swept  over  him,  and,  with  a  Mexican 
curse  on  all  American  pigs,  he  turned  his  back  con- 
temptuously on  the  boys,  gave  a  few  rapid  com- 
mands in  Spanish,  and  walked  over  to  the  fire, 
where  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  were  both  busy  get- 
ting food  ready  for  their  captors  to  eat. 

Trav  never  answered  a  word  to  all  that  bom- 
bastic rigmarole  so  dramatically  recited  for  his 
especial  benefit  by  his  melodramatic  captor,  An- 
dreas Vasquez.  He  was  wise  enough  to  know 
that  now  was  the  time  when  silence  was  golden. 
But  he  had  done  a  considerable  bit  of  thinking; 
and  his  thoughts  did  not  tend  to  salve  in  the  least 
the  hurts  made  by  the  boasts  of  his  cunning  captor. 
He,  both  boys,  had  been  exceedingly  foolish  to  allow 
themselves  to  be  thus  easily  outwitted  and  cap- 
tured just  when  their  freedom  was  of  the  utmost 
importance;  for  it  was  evident  that  Davy  Crockett 


96  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  Sam  McNelly  were  on  the  wrong  trail,  and 
they,  if  they  had  only  remained  free,  might  have 
hurried  on  to  them,  told  them  of  their  discovery, 
and,  probably,  have  been  the  means  of  the  imme- 
diate rescue  of  Kitty  and  her  mother  and  the  cap- 
ture of  their  abductors.  But  now,  they,  too,  were 
prisoners,  and  the  rescue  of  Kitty  and  her  mother 
further  away  than  ever.  Trav  saw  all  this  clearly 
enough  now,  when  too  late;  and,  if  ever  a  boy  felt 
like  kicking  himself,  that  boy  was  Trav  McNelly, 
as  he  thought  of  what  might  have  been  and  of  what 
was. 

There  were  six  men  in  addition  to  Andreas 
Vasquez,  who  was  evidently  their  leader,  in  the  lit- 
tle opening  in  the  canebrake,  and  their  horses  stood, 
unsaddled  and  unbridled,  quietly  eating  a  little  dis- 
tance from  Trav  and  Tom.  Two  of  these  men,  at 
the  commands  of  Vasquez,  at  once  picked  up  their 
rifles  and  vanished  in  the  canebrake.  They  were 
sent  to  bring  in  Trav's  and  Tom's  horses,  and 
again  to  close  the  opening  to  the  passageway  into 
the  canebrake.  Two  of  the  remaining  men  ap- 
proached a  squirming  bundle  of  blankets  that  had 
been  thrown  down  near  the  boys,  and  began  un- 
winding the  rope  with  which  it  was  fastened,  grin- 
ning and  roughly  prodding  the  bundle  as  they  did 
so. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  vicious  snarl,  a  tremendous 
squirming,  and  out  from  the  bundle  of  blankets 
sprang  Bing,  his  white  teeth  bared  and  every  hair 


Andreas  Vasquez  97 

on  his  body  standing  on  end.  Both  of  the  Mexicans 
made  a  grab  at  him. 

Snap !  Snap !  And  B  ing's  white  teeth  were  red ; 
and  the  two  Mexicans  were  swearing  and  reaching 
for  their  rifles,  and  Bing  was  racing  for  the  open- 
ing in  the  canebrake,  into  which  he  vanished  just 
as  both  rifles  cracked. 

"Bully  for  Bing!"  Trav  exclaimed;  and,  "Bully 
for  Bing!"  echoed  Tom.  "Never  touched  a  hair  of 
him,"  and  his  eyes  turned  joyfully  to  the  two  bleed- 
ing hands  of  the  Mexicans. 

Vasquez  and  the  two  other  Mexicans  came  run- 
ning up  at  this  moment ;  and,  when  Vasquez  learned 
what  had  happened,  he  turned  upon  the  two  unfor- 
tunate Mexicans,  who  had  allowed  Bing  to  escape 
and  had  fired  off  their  rifles,  so  furiously,  that>  for 
a  minute,  Trav  and  Tom  thought  he  would  kill 
them  both.  But  again  the  storm  of  his  anger  soon 
wore  itself  out;  and,  after  vowing  he  would  kill 
the  next  man  who  fired  off  a  rifle  without  his  order, 
he  returned  to  the  fire,  leaving  the  two  Mexicans  to 
care  for  their  bitten  hands  unaided,  and  to  guard 
Trav  and  Tom. 

By  this  time  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  had  the 
rude  food  ready;  and  Vasquez  compelled  them  to 
serve  him,  and  to  wait  upon  his  comrades ;  and  not 
until  he  and  his  men  had  eaten  all  they  wished,  did 
he  allow  them  to  taste  a  mouthful.  No  food  what- 
ever was  offered  the  two  boys. 

Kitty  and  her  mother,  their  usefulness  for  the 


98  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

night  over,  were  now  tightly  bound,  and  left  with 
one  of  the  Mexicans  to  guard  them  on  the  side  of 
the  opening  opposite  the  boys.  Then  Trav's  and 
Tom's  legs,  in  addition  to  their  hands,  were  tied 
tightly  together,  and  one  of  the  remaining  men  or- 
dered to  keep  a  constant  eye  on  them  on  pain  of 
instant  death  should  they  escape.  Evidently  Vas- 
quez,  in  spite  of  his  scornful  words,  had  a  whole- 
some regard  for  the  prowess  of  his  prisoners,  and 
intended  to  guard  against  all  possibilities  of  their 
escape,  by  keeping  them,  even  when  bound,  under 
constant  surveillance.  When  this  had  been  done 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  watchful  eyes  of  the  chief, 
he,  and  the  two  Mexicans  who  were  not  on  guard, 
at  once  laid  themselves  down  on  their  blankets  and 
were  soon  sound  asleep. 

Trav  and  Tom  were  so  thoroughly  tired  out  and 
sleepy — it  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  now  long 
after  midnight  and  that  both  boys  had  had  an  in- 
tensely active  as  well  as  exciting  time  of  it  since 
the  bear-hunt  began  in  the  early  morning — that,  in 
spite  of  their  bonds  and  the  hardness  of  the  unpro- 
tected ground  beneath  them,  they  were  both  asleep 
almost  as  soon  as  they  were  allowed  to  stretch 
themselves  out  on  the  ground,  nor  did  they  awaken 
again  until  aroused  the  next  morning  by  the  prod- 
ding toe  of  one  of  the  Mexicans. 

The  sun  was  now  up  and  shining  down  brightly 
on  the  little  clearing  in  the  canebrake ;  and  its  rays 
lighted  a  scene  so  quiet  and  apparently  peaceful, 


Andreas  Vasquez  99 

that,  for  a  moment,  it  was  difficult  for  the  two  boys 
to  realize  the  actual  condition  of  affairs. 

Kitty  and  her  mother  were  busy  about  the  camp- 
fire  getting  breakfast.  Vasquez  and  three  of  his 
men  sat  placidly  smoking  near  by.  Two  of  the 
other  men  still  lay  on  their  blankets  asleep.  The 
remaining  Mexican,  his  rifle  held  across  his  knees, 
sat  a  few  feet  from  the  boys,  tranquilly  smoking 
and  occasionally  glancing  in  their  direction.  The 
horses — and,  with  a  start,  Trav  and  Tom  recog- 
nized the  horses  they  had  ridden  among  them — 
stood  quietly  eating  a  few  rods  away.  Circling 
around  them  the  tall  canes  rose  on  every  side  to 
the  height  of  twenty  or  more  feet,  an  impassable 
wall  of  green  except  where  pathways  had  been 
made  through  it.  Such  was  the  quiet  and  peaceful- 
looking  scene  on  which  the  eyes  of  the  boys  rested, 
as  they  rose  stiff  and  sore  to  their  feet;  but  they 
were  not  permitted  to  contemplate  it  long  undis- 
turbed. 

Vasquez  glanced  in  their  direction,  and  quickly 
gave  an  order. 

The  man  sitting  near  the  boys  arose,  and  at  once 
began  untying  their  hands. 

"Thank  you,  Mexico.  You  never  did  a  better 
deed  in  your  life/'  and  Trav  stretched  his  stiffened 
arms  and  grunted  with  relief  the  moment  his 
swollen  wrists  were  free. 

As  soon  as  the  arms  of  the  boys  were  freed,  the 
Mexican  stooped  and  began  unloosing  their  feet. 


ioo          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Sure,  and  I  will  remember  you  in  my  will  for 
this,  Mexico,"  and  Tom  swung  his  arms  and  kicked 
first  with  one  foot,  then  with  the  other,  in  an  effort 
to  get  the  blood  again  circulating  properly  through 
his  limbs. 

But  the  boys  were  not  left  long  to  ponder  over  the 
cause  of  this  unexpected  kindness  on  the  part  of 
their  captors ;  for,  hardly  had  they  had  time  to  kick 
the  kinks  out  of  their  stiffened  legs,  when  Vasquez 
ordered  them  to  be  hobbled,  and  to  bring  grass  for 
the  horses,  and  wood  for  the  camp-fire.  The  hob- 
bling was  done  by  tying  a  short  rope  around  their 
ankles  in  such  a  way  that  it  permitted  them  to  take 
a  step  only  about  a  foot  long.  This,  of  course,  made 
running  or  even  fast  walking  impossible  while  the 
rope  was  around  their  legs,  and  prevented  them 
from  even  attempting  to  escape  by  running  away. 

"Hobbled  like  a  couple  of  horses !"  Trav  said  in- 
dignantly, his  face  flushing,  and  for  a  moment  he 
looked  as  if  he  were  about  to  rebel. 

Vasquez  saw  the  look,  and,  quickly  jumping  to 
his  feet,  he  caught  up  a  horsewhip,  and  walked 
swiftly  to  where  the  boys  stood,  the  look  of  rebellion 
growing  on  their  faces,  and  their  eyes  beginning  to 
glint  angrily. 

"Dare  the  American  pigs  not  to  obey  my  com- 
mands ?"  and  he  raised  the  whip  threateningly  above 
Trav's  shoulders.  "If  so,  I  whip  like  dogs.  Si, 
sefiors,  I  whip  like  dogs.  Now,  go  get  grass  and 


Andreas  Vasquez  101 

wood,  or,"  and  the  whip  hung  quiveringly  in  the  air. 

"You  dirty  coward!"  and  Trav's  fists  were 
clenched  tightly.  "You  dirty  coward,  don't  you 
dare  to  strike — " 

"Trav!"  and  Mrs.  McNelly's  voice  rang  out  ap- 
pealingly,  warningly. 

Trav's  fists  instantly  unclosed.  For  the  moment 
he  had  forgotten  his  mother  and  Kitty ;  and  how  for 
their  sakes,  as  well  as  his  own,  he  must  endure 
quietly  such  indignities  as  the  Mexicans  cared  to 
impose  upon  him. 

"All  right,  mother/5  he  called  back,  his  lips  clos- 
ing tightly.  "I'll  try  and  make  the  best  of  a  mighty 
bad  bargain ;  but,  if  ever —  Oh,  what's  the  use  of 
kicking?  You've  got  the  strangle  hold  just  now, 
Mexico,  and  we'll  do  whatever  you  tell  us  to,  so 
long  as  it  is  anything  fit  for  American  boys  to  do." 

Vasquez  grinned  triumphantly,  and  lowered  his 
whip. 

"I  thought  American  pigs  no  like  whip,"  he  said. 
"Whip  make  squeal,  like  pig,"  and  his  wicked  black 
eyes  glittered.  "You  now  my  servants,  same  as 
dog  and  horse,"  he  continued;  "and,  like  dog  and 
horse,  I  whip  when  not  do  what  I  want.  Now,  go 
get  grass  and  wood,"  and,  turning  to  the  men  sit- 
ting by  the  fire,  he  ordered  two  of  them  to  guard  the 
boys  while  they  were  doing  the  camp-work. 

The  two  men  at  once  picked  up  their  rifles,  and, 
falling  in  behind  Trav  and  Tom,  indicated  that  they 


IO2  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

were  ready  to  start  by  jabbing  the  boys  in  the  backs 
with  the  muzzles  of  their  guns,  which  was  polite 
Mexican  for,  "Get  a  move  on  you." 

The  boys  were  conducted  through  a  narrow  pas- 
sageway in  the  canebrake  to  the  banks  of  a  small 
stream  of  water.  Here,  along  the  shores  of  the 
stream,  grew  little  patches  of  grass  and  a  few 
stunted  trees.  Their  guards  now  handed  each  boy 
a  hunting-knife,  and  bade  him  get  to  work  cutting 
grass.  When  sufficient  grass  had  been  cut,  they 
tied  it  up  in  bundles  and  carried  it  on  their  backs  to 
the  horses.  Then  they  gathered  bundles  of  fire- 
wood, and  bore  them  on  their  backs  to  the  camp- 
fire. 

This,  hobbled  as  they  were,  was  exceedingly  slow 
and  laborious  work;  but  they  were  not  allowed  to 
stop,  nor  were  they  given  a  mouthful  to  eat,  until 
their  tasks  were  completed,  which  was  not  accom- 
plished until  the  sun  was  nearing  the  zenith. 

Kitty  and  her  mother  watched  the  toiling  boys 
with  pitying  eyes;  but  Vasquez,  seemingly  out  of 
pure  cruelty,  would  not  allow  a  word  to  pass  be- 
tween them  and  Trav  and  Tom;  and  both  sighed 
with  relief,  when,  at  last,  they  saw  that  the  boys 
were  allowed  to  stop  and  were  given  something  to 
cat. 

Evidently  the  Mexicans  had  no  intentions  of  con- 
tinuing their  journey  that  day.  If  they  waited  until 
night,  their  pursuers  would  be  at  least  a  day's  jour- 
ney ahead  of  them,  which  is  a  desirable  place  for 


Andreas  Vasquez  103 

pursuers  to  be,  while  their  present  hiding-place  had 
been  chosen  and  concealed  so  cunningly  that  there 
was  not  one  chance  out  of  a  thousand  of  its  being 
discovered.  Then,  again,  by  traveling  at  night  and 
lying  hidden  in  some  secure  place  of  concealment 
during  the  daylight,  until  they  were  out  of  the  en- 
emy's country,  there  would  be  little  chance  of  their 
being  seen  by  any  wandering  white  hunter  or  trav- 
eler, all  of  whom  would  soon  know  of  the  capture  of 
Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  and  the  two  boys  by  the 
Mexicans,  and  be  on  the  lookout  for  the  abductors. 
Such,  at  least,  was  the  reasoning  of  Andreas  Vas- 
quez, who  had  the  cunning  of  the  fox  coupled  with 
the  cruelty  and  cowardice  of  the  wolf;  and  the  re- 
sults proved  the  wisdom  of  his  planning. 

That  night,  as  soon  as  it  became  dark,  the  horses 
were  saddled,  and,  very  cautiously,  the  little  caval- 
cade made  its  way  out  of  the  canebrake,  the  prison- 
ers tightly  bound  and  guarded  on  the  backs  of  two 
of  the  horses ;  and,  as  swiftly  as  the  darkness  would 
permit,  fled  westward.  All  that  night,  with  hardly 
a  pause,  they  hurried  on;  but,  as  soon  as  it  began 
to  grow  light,  Vasquez  led  the  way  into  another 
canebrake,  where  a  hiding-place  similar  to  the  one 
already  described  had  been  prepared,  and  again 
camped  for  the  day,  and  again  Trav  and  Tom  were 
compelled  to  do  all  the  camp-work,  while  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly and  Kitty  attended  to  the  meals,  and  the 
Mexicans  slept  and  smoked  or  idly  talked,  reclining 
lazily  on  their  blankets. 


IO4          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Thus  for  five  days  and  nights  the  Mexicans  fled 
westward,  each  day  hiding  in  some  secluded  wood 
or  canebrake,  and  each  night  hurrying  on  toward 
the  Mexican  towns  to  the  west,  but  at  best  going 
but  slowly,  on  account  of  the  darkness  and  the  de- 
tours they  were  obliged  to  make  in  order  to  avoid 
the  American  settlements. 

During  all  this  time  the  boys  had  been  forbidden 
to  speak  to  or  even  to  go  near  Mrs.  McNelly  and 
Kitty ;  and,  so  carefully  had  they  been  guarded  and 
kept  separated  from  the  other  prisoners  that  not 
once  had  they  had  an  opportunity  to  disobey  this 
cruel  order.  However,  it  was  so  great  a  consola- 
tion to  be  always  near  enough  to  Kitty  and  her 
mother  to  know  that  they  were  safe,  that  it  almost 
reconciled  them  to  their  own  captivity  and  its  many 
hardships. 

But,  what  had  become  of  Davy  Crockett  and  Sam 
McNelly  ?  and  why  had  they  not  come  to  their  res- 
cue? Again  and  again  Trav  and  Tom  had  asked 
each  other  these  questions,  during  these  long  weary 
five  days  of  captivity;  and,  as  often,  they  had  been 
forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  cunning  Mexicans 
had  succeeded  in  completely  outwitting  the  famous 
bear-hunter  and  the  giant  settler ;  and,  as  day  after 
day  had  passed  without  a  sign  from  their  rescuers, 
and  as  every  day  brought  them  nearer  to  the  Mex- 
ican settlements,  so  each  day  their  hope  of  rescue 
had  grown  less  and  less,  until  now,  as  they  halted  to 
camp  on  this  morning  of  the  sixth  day,  both  boys 


Andreas  Vasquez  105 

were  pretty  nearly  discouraged — not  that  they  had 
lost  faith  for  an  instant  in  Davy  Crockett  and  Sam 
McNelly.  Both  boys  knew  that  neither  Davy  nor 
Sam  would  give  up  the  hunt,  as  long  as  he  had  life 
and  a  hope  of  their  rescue  remained;  but,  how 
could  they  find  them  now,  after  five  days  of  journey- 
ing in  that  measureless  wilderness  ? 

"I — I  am  afraid  Kitty  and  her  mother  will  have 
to  depend  on  us,  Trav,  to  get  them  out  of  the 
clutches  of  these  brutes,"  Tom  said,  as,  after  the 
morning's  camp-work  had  been  done,  he  sank  down, 
almost  completely  exhausted,  by  the  side  of  Trav. 
"Davy  and  your  father  must  have  lost  the  trail  at 
Canebrake  Creek  and  never  found  it  again ;  and  no 
wonder,  for  who'd  have  thought  a  Greaser  would 
be  sharp  enough  to  do  as  Vasquez  did.  And  we 
must  get  away,  if  possible,  before  we  get  to  San 
Antonio,  where,  probably,  Vasquez  has  plenty  of 
friends  to  help  him  hide  and  guard  us." 

"That's  all  true  enough,"  answered  Trav,  gloom- 
ily. "But  I'd  like  to  know  how  we're  going  to  get 
away,  when  we  can't  wiggle  a  toe  night  or  day  with- 
out a  Mexican  being  on  hand  to  see  that  there  is 
nothing  suspicious  in  the  wiggle,  much  less  how 
we're  going  to  take  Kitty  and  mother  with  us.  I 
am  sure  I've  tried  to  think  of  some  way  until  my 
thinker  is  about  worn  out ;  but,  as  long  as  Vasquez 
keeps  us  hobbled  like  horses  and  an  armed  guard 
over  us  night  and  day,  I  don't  see  how  even  Davy 
Crockett  himself  could  get  away,"  and  he  glowered 


106          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

furiously  at  the  guard  who  sat,  rifle  across  his 
knees,  not  a  dozen  feet  away.  "But,  as  Davy 
Crockett  would  say,  we  must  never  say  dead  until 
our  goose  is  cooked —  Hello,  what's  doing  now?" 
and  a  look  of  hope  sprang  into  the  faces  of  both 
boys,  as  they  quickly  jumped  to  their  feet. 

At  that  moment,  one  of  the  Mexicans  stationed 
a  little  distance  away  had  uttered  a  low  warning 
cry;  and  instantly  Vasquez  and  his  men  had  seized 
their  rifles  and  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  now  stood 
staring  anxiously  and  fearfully  toward  the  part  of 
the  surrounding  woods,  whence  all  could  plainly 
hear  a  sound  like  that  made  by  a  number  of  horses 
or  other  large  animals  forcing  their  way  through 
thick  underbrush. 

Vasquez  gave  a  low  command,  and  one  of  the 
men  glided  swiftly  into  the  woods  and  disappeared 
in  the  direction  of  the  sound. 

Five  anxious  minutes  passed — anxious  to  the 
prisoners  as  well  as  to  their  captors,  for  who  could 
tell  whether  friends  or  enemies  were  approaching? 
— then  a  shout  was  heard,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
the  man  who  had  been  dispatched  to  find  out  the 
cause  of  the  noise,  came  running  back  into  camp, 
his  eyes  sparkling  with  excitement,  and  shouted  out 
something  in  Spanish. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  STRUGGLE  FOR  FREEDOM 

TRAV'S  and  Tom's  hopes  vanished  instantly  at 
sight  of  the  reception  Vasquez  and  his  men 
gave  to  the  news  brought  by  their  comrades;  for, 
since  their  countenances  and  actions  showed  only 
joy,  it  was  evidently  very  good  news  to  them,  and 
it  was  equally  evident  that,  if  it  were  good  news  to 
them,  it  could  not  be  otherwise  than  bad  news  to 
the  two  boys. 

'Who  can  it  be?"  and  Trav  glanced  anxiously  in 
the  direction  of  the  approaching  sound.  "I  hope  it 
in  no  more  Mexicans  for  mother  and  Kitty  to  wait 
on.  They're  about  tuckered  out  as  it  is;  and  Kitty' 
is  beginning  to  show  it  terribly.  She's  getting  thin 
and  white,  and  looks  as  if  she  were  sick,  but  she's 
got  grit  and  won't  give  up  until  she  has  to.  I  don't 
know  what  would  happen,  if  mother  or  Kitty  should 
get  sick,"  and  he  looked  gloomily  over  to  where 
Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  stood,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  camp-fire. 

"Well,  it  is  more  Mexicans!"  Tom  exclaimed 
angrily,  as  six  men  rode  into  view,  their  horses  and 
equipments  showing  long  and  hard  service.  "And 
Mexican  soldiers  at  that !"  and  he  glared  furiously 

107 


io8          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

at  the  horsemen,  who  now  had  reached  camp,  and 
were  literally  received  with  open  arms  by  Vasquez 
and  his  men. 

For  a  few  minutes  there  was  the  liveliest  kind  of 
jabbering  and  exclaiming  and  gesticulating  among 
the  Mexicans;  and  when  Vasquez  threw  his  hat  up 
into  the  air  and  shouted  jubilantly:  "Viva,  Santa 
Anna  ellllustrissimo!  Viva,  el  President e  General 
Santa  Anna!"  and  all  the  others  threw  their  hats  up 
and  cheered  for  El  General  Santa  Anna. 

"Santa  Anna!  What  are  the  beggars  cheering 
Santa  Anna  for?  You — you  don't  suppose — it 
can't  be,"  and  Trav's  face  whitened.  "It  can't  be 
that  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  have  at  last  reached 
Texas,  and  that  these  soldiers  are  from  his  army?" 

"Looks  like  it,"  Tom  answered  disconsolately. 
"But  we'll  soon  know,  for  here  comes  Vasquez ;  and 
he  couldn't  keep  that  Mexican  tongue  of  his  from 
boasting  about  it,  if  anything  like  that  has  hap- 
pened, to  save  his  dirty  neck  from  the  hanging  it 
deserves.  Well,  what's  up  now?"  and  he  turned  a 
scowling  face  to  his  captor,  whose  lips  were  smiling 
and  whose  eyes  were  sparkling  with  vindictive  tri- 
umph. "You've  been  making  noise  enough  to  scare 
all  the  wolves  out  of  Texas." 

"Ai,  noise  to  frighten  all  pigs,  American  pigs,  in 
Texas.  We  did  but  shout  the  name  of  his  Excel- 
entisimo  Presidente,  El  General  Santa  Anna,  and 
all  Texas  trembled,"  and  Vasquez  waved  both  arms 
grandiloquently.  "What  then  will  happen  when 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  109 

this  not  conquerable  general  rides  into  Texas  at 
head  of  great  army?  Ai,  what  then?"  and  he  ges- 
ticulated excitedly.  "He  will  make  red  the  ground 
of  Texas  with  blood  of  American  pigs.  Like  stam- 
peding buffalo  he  across  the  Sabine  will  drive  them, 
grunting  and  squealing.  Now  will  Mexicans  rule 
American  pigs ;  keep  in  pens,  like  other  pigs ;  make 
work  like  horse  and  dog.  And  I,"  and  the  snake- 
look  glittered  in  his  eyes,  "I  Big  Sam  McNelly,  who 
crack  Mexican  skulls  with  bare  fists,  his  wife,  his 
girl,  his  boy  will  make  my  slaves,  will  make  do  what 
I  tell,  or  whip,  whip  like  dog  or  horse ;  and  Big  Sam 
McNelly  shall  know,  but  no  can  help,  no  can  save, 
no  can  rescue.  Make  him  suffer  long,  long  he  live. 
Make  you  suffer  long,  long  you  live.  Make  wife 
and  girl  suffer  long,  long  they  live.  Make  all  suf- 
fer. No  kill;  oh,  no.  That  American  pig  ven- 
geance, not  Mexican.  Make  suffer  long  as  live, 
that  Mexican  vengeance." 

As  he  spoke  Vasquez  strutted  up  and  down  in 
front  of  the  boys,  like  a  veritable  villain  of  a  melo- 
drama, his  dark  eyes  flashing,  his  long  arms  gestic- 
ulating, and  his  white  teeth  gleaming  beneath  his 
black  mustache;  but,  unfortunately  for  Trav  and 
Tom,  this  was  no  stage  performance  of  a  fictitious 
melodrama.  The  villain  was  real,  as  large  as  life, 
and  worst  of  all,  he  had  the  power  to  do  exactly 
what  he  threatened  to  do,  unless  the  boys  and  Mrs. 
McNelly  and  Kitty  escaped,  and  escape  now  seemed 
more  impossible  than  ever.  Consequently  Trav 


no          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  Tom  did  not  enjoy  this  melodramatic  display  of 
Mexican  hatred  and  passion,  as  much  as  they  might 
have  done  had  they  themselves  not  been  the  prin- 
cipal dramatis  personae.  However  both  boys  had 
too  much  sense  to  answer  the  Mexican's  bombastic 
boasting,  although  each  lad's  tongue  fairly  itched 
to  tell  him  exactly  what  he  thought  of  him  and  of 
the  whole  Mexican  army,  including  Santa  Anna 
and  all  his  generals.  They  stood  silent,  but  their 
faces  plainly  showed  their  wrath  and  contempt. 

Suddenly  Vasquez  appeared  to  recollect  himself, 
and  stopped  short  directly  in  front  of  the  lads. 

"But  I  waste  much  talk  on  American  pigs,"  he 
said  contemptuously.  "Go,"  and  he  pointed  per- 
emptorily toward  the  horses  of  the  Mexican  sol- 
diers, "care  for  horses.  Go !"  and,  turning  to  their 
guard,  he  spoke  a  few  words  rapidly  to  him. 

The  man  grinned,  and,  springing  behind  the  boys, 
began  prodding  them  toward  the  horses  with  the 
muzzle  of  his  rifle. 

The  boys  were  still  hobbled,  and  the  Mexican's 
prods  were  so  violent,  that  more  than  once  in  going 
the  short  distance  to  the  horses  both  boys  were  tum- 
bled to  the  ground.  This  appeared  to  amuse  the 
soldiers  immensely,  for  every  time  the  lads  fell  they 
shouted  and  laughed  and  yelled  their  approval  to 
the  guard,  who,  thus  encouraged,  redoubled  his 
muzzle-jabbing,  with  the  result  that  the  backs  of 
both  boys  were  black  and  blue  by  the  time  the  horses 
were  reached.  But  a  sight  of  the  pitying  face  of 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  in 

Mrs.  McNelly  and  the  tears  in  Kitty's  eyes  and  the 
thought  of  what  might  happen  should  they  rebel, 
made  each  lad  grit  his  teeth  together  and  bear  the 
pain  and  the  indignities  without  a  murmur;  and 
they  were  as  wise  as  they  were  brave  in  doing  this, 
for  Andreas  Vasquez  would  have  liked  nothing  bet- 
ter than  to  have  been  obliged  to  force  them  to  obey 
him  with  the  whip-lash. 

Trav  and  Tom  learned  that  the  Mexican  soldiers 
were  a  part  of  the  advance  scouts,  sent  out  by 
Santa  Anna  a  week  ahead  of  the  marching  of  the 
army,  in  order  that  the  Mexicans  in  Texas  might 
know  of  his  coming  and  be  prepared  to  aid  him  and 
his  army.  The  soldiers  were  on  their  way  to  San 
Antonio  de  Bexar ;  and,  as  Vasquez  was  also  going 
to  the  same  place,  it  did  not  take  them  long  to  agree 
to  travel  together. 

"Governor  Smith  and  General  Houston  and  Aus- 
tin ought  to  know  of  the  coming  of  Santa  Anna 
and  his  army  right  away/'  Trav  whispered  to  Tom, 
the  moment  their  work  was  done,  and  they  were 
again  allowed  to  seat  themselves. 

"Sure,"  Tom  answered  sarcastically.  "You 
might  mount  your  good  horse  and  start  right  off 
with  the  news.  Of  course  your  feet  are  hobbled 
together,  as  if  you  were  a  horse,  and  a  Mexican 
with  a  loaded  rifle  in  his  hands  and  a  long  knife  in 
his  belt  stands  guard  over  you  about  ten  feet  away, 
and  a  dozen  other  Mexicans,  including  six  of  Santa 
Anna's  brave  soldiers,  all  armed  with  loaded  rifles 


H2  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  pistols  and  knives,  are  standing  about  keeping 
an  eye  on  you;  but  don't  let  little  things  like  those 
stop  you.  Just  leap  onto  the  back  of  your  good 
horse,  and  away  with  the  news  of  the  coming  of 
Santa  Anna  to  General  Houston — Oh,  but  I've 
stood  about  all  of  this  sort  of  thing  I  can,"  and  Tom 
gritted  his  teeth  and  dug  his  heel  viciously  into  the 
ground.  "If  it  hadn't  been  for  Kitty  and  her 
mother  I'd — I'd  taken  my  chances,  and  jumped  on 
that  Greaser,  while  he  was  prodding  us  with  his 
gun,  and  thumped  him  one  on  the  nose  an(l  smashed 
in  his  eyes,  if  they  had  killed  me  for  it  the  next  min- 
ute. I'll  bet  there  isn't  a  spot  as  big  as  a  pin's  head 
on  my  back  that  he  didn't  jab  his  gun  into,"  and  he 
glared  at  the  Mexican  guard,  who  grinned  and 
rubbed  his  back  suggestively. 

"And  I'd  have  jumped  with  you,"  Trav  declared 
emphatically,  glowering  at  the  grinning  guard, 
"But,  what's  the  use?  We've  just  got  to  grin  and 
bear  it,  for  Kitty's  and  mother's  sakes,  and  for  our 
own,  too,  I  guess.  I  fancy  what  we've  had  is  noth- 
ing to  what  we'd  get,  if  we  rebelled.  But  I  do  wish 
there  was  some  way  of  letting  General  Houston 
know  that  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  are  probably 
even  now  across  the  Rio  Grande,  and  hurrying  on, 
hoping  to  pounce  down  upon  us  and  take  some 
stronghold  of  ours  by  surprise;  but,  what  can  a  fel- 
low do  when  there's  a  loaded  rifle  with  a  man  back 
of  it  always  at  his  elbow,  and  plenty  nlore  always 
near  to  help?" 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  113 

"Grumble,  we  can  grumble,"  Tom  broke  in,  his 
face  flushing  slightly.  "And  grumbling,  you  know, 
will  do  us  such  a  sight  of  good." 

"Well,  I'd  like  to  know  if  you  haven't  done  your 
share  of  grumbling,"  and  for  an  instant  Trav's  face 
flushed  angrily. 

"Certain.  More  than  my  share,"  Tom  answered 
cheerfully.  "But  'tain't  done  me  a  mite  of  good, 
and  keeps  me  riled  up  all  the  time;  and  so  I'm 
going  to  try  and  cut  the  grumble  out  after  this. 
Want  to  join  me  in  the  try?  Vasquez  will  be  a 
splendid  test,"  and  he  smiled  bravely. 

"Sure,"  and  Trav,  the  anger  all  gone  from  his 
face,  reached  out  and  caught  Tom  by  the  hand. 
"And  I  guess  you  haven't  grumbled  any  more  than 
I  have.  But  it's  mighty  hard  to  see  mother  and 
Kitty  suffering  all  the  time,  to  see  them  treated  like 
dogs,  and  to  be  treated  like  dogs  ourselves,  and  not 
get  mad,  and  let  the  mad  out  in  words  and  acts. 
But  you  are  right.  It  don't  do  a  mite  of  good. 
Only  makes  things  worse.  And  then,  if  we  ever 
get  the  start  of  Vasquez,  we've  got  to  fool  him  into 
thinking  that  we've  lost  all  our  pluck  and  courage, 
and  haven't  got  enough  gump  left  to  try  to  get 
away.  He'll  watch  us  closer  than  a  cat  does  a 
mouse,  so  long  as  we  show  any  spunk;  and  I  think 
it  will  be  a  good  way  to  fool  him  to  cut  all  the 
grumble  out  after  this,  and  to  act  just  as  if  he  had 
knocked  all  the  grit  out  of  us,  and  hadn't  left  enough 
spunk  in  us  for  us  to  even  want  to  try  to  get  away. 


H4          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Maybe  then  he'll  get  a  little  careless  and  give  us  a 
chance;  and,  if  he  does — "  and  Trav's  jaws  came 
together  with  a  click — "we'll  take  it  quicker  than 
lightning." 

"You  bet  we  will,"  and  Tom's  eyes  flamed;  "so 
quick  he  won't  know  what  has  happened  until  we're 
gone.  And,  if  I  ever  get  a  chance,  I'll  give  Vas- 
quez  a  dose  of  his  own  medicine  that  will  make  him 
sick  to  the  stomach.  Oh,  but  I  am  tired,  and  sore, 
and  sleepy !  I'm  sure  every  bone  in  my  body  has  an 
ache  in  it ;  and  I  feel  as  if  I  had  not  had  more  than  a 
wink  of  sleep  in  a  week.  I've  just  got  to  go  to 
sleep,"  and,  wearied  almost  beyond  endurance,  the 
tired  boy  stretched  himself  out  on  the  hard  un- 
blanketed  ground. 

"Same  here,"  and  Trav  lay  down  by  his  com- 
rade's side;  and  almost  instantly  both  boys  had 
passed  into  the  land  of  dreams,  where  there  were  no 
vengeful  Vasquez  and  his  brutal  Mexicans. 

When  the  boys  awoke  it  was  already  growing 
dark;  but,  to  their  surprise,  no  preparations  were 
being  made  to  continue  the  journey  during  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night.  Vasquez  and  the  Mexican  sol- 
diers sat  smoking  and  chatting  around  the  blazing 
camp-fire.  A  few  feet  from  Trav  and  Tom  stood 
their  inevitable  guard.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
fire,  her  back  against  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  sat  Mrs. 
McNelly,  with  Kitty's  head  lying  in  her  lap.  When 
she  saw  that  the  boys  were  awake  she  nodded  her 
In, id  to  them  and  smiled.  A  few  feet  from  Mrs. 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  115 

McNelly  and  Kitty  stood  another  Mexican,  their 
guard.  Two  others  of  Vasquez's  men,  who  were 
not  in  sight,  were  guarding  the  little  encampment. 
All  the  rest  of  the  men  were  reclining  on  their  blan- 
kets around  the  camp-fire,  in  the  various  attitudes 
dear  to  their  lazy,  ease-loving  bodies. 

"Looks  as  if  there  was  to  be  no  traveling  to- 
night," Trav  said,  after  he  had  glanced  around  at 
this  peaceful  and  inactive  looking  scene,  "and  I'm 
mighty  glad  of  it.  The  long  rest  will  do  us  all  a 
sight  of  good,  and  be  better  than  medicine  for  Kitty, 
poor  girl!  Besides,"  and  he  lowered  his  voice, 
"maybe  it  will  give  Davy  and  father  a  chance  to 
catch  up  with  us,  if  they  are  on  our  trail." 

Trav  was  right.  There  was  to  be  no  traveling 
done  that  night.  Vasquez  now  felt  that  he  had  so 
completely  outwitted  his  pursuers  and  was  so  far 
from  the  American  settlements,  that  there  was  no 
longer  any  need  of  hiding  during  the  daylight  and 
traveling  only  at  night.  Besides,  had  he  not  now 
the  brave  soldiers  of  Santa  Anna  to  protect  him 
and  to  help  guard  the  prisoners?  He  had  yet  to 
learn  the  relentless  courage  and  perseverance  of  an 
aroused  Anglo-American  backwoodsman. 

That  night  the  boys'  hands  and  feet  were  strongly 
bound  and  a  guard  stationed  over  them,  before  they 
were  allowed  to  go  to  sleep.  Mrs.  McNelly  and 
Kitty  were  also  bound  and  guarded.  Vasquez  him- 
self, before  lying  down  for  the  night,  came  and 
carefully  examined  the  buckskin  thongs,  with  which 


ii6          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  hands  and  feet  of  Trav  and  Tom  were  tied. 

"I  make  sure  American  pigs  no  get  away  from 
my  right  vengeance,"  he  said,  as  he  tightened  the 
thongs  around  Trav's  ankles.  "How  free  Amer- 
ican pigs  like  being  Mexican's  slaves?"  he  inquired 
sarcastically,  as  he  paused  a  moment  later  to  gloat 
over  his  captives,  after  having  satisfied  himself 
that  their  bonds  were  secure,  his  evil  face 'smiling 
down  at  the  two  boys. 

"O,  go  away  and  don't  bother  us,"  muttered  Trav 
dully.  "All  we  want  now  is  to  be  let  alone  so  that 
we  can  sleep,  sleep,"  he  repeated  drowsily ;  and  even 
when  Vasquez  kicked  him,  by  way  of  saying  good 
night,  he  only  groaned  and  shrank  shiveringly 
away. 

Vasquez  returned  to  his  blanket  chuckling  to 
himself,  for  he  fancied  that  at  last  he  had  broken 
the  tough  fiber  of  the  two  American  boys'  spirit. 
But  again  the  Mexican  had  misjudged  the  courage 
and  grit  of  the  Anglo-American. 

For  a  couple  of  hours  the  two  boys  lay  almost 
motionless.  Then  Trav  turned  cautiously,  so  that 
he  faced  Tom.  Their  mouths  were  now  only  about 
three  feet  apart,  and  each  lad  could  hear  even  a 
low  whisper  when  uttered  by  the  other.  Their 
guard  sat  a  dozen  feet  away,  his  back  against  the 
trunk  of  a  tree  and  his  head  nodding  drowsily.  The 
camp-fire  had  burned  low,  and  the  night  was  just 
dark  enough  to  make  an  object  a  couple  of  rods  dis- 
tant look  indistinct  and  shadowy. 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  117 

"Tom,"  softly  whispered  Trav.  "Tom,  are  you 
awake  ?" 

"Yes,  what  is  it?"  came  back  the  answer  so  softly 
whispered  that  it  could  not  have  been  heard  six 
feet  away. 

"Slowly  turn  over  so  that  your  back  will  be  to- 
wards me.  I  am  going  to  see  if  I  can't  bite  in  two 
one  of  the  thongs  of  deerskin  that  bind  your  wrists 
together."  (The  boys'  hands  had  been  tied  behind 
their  backs.)  "Now  turn  slowly,  and  be  careful 
not  to  make  a  mite  of  noise,"  and  Trav  glanced 
anxiously  toward  the  guard,  whose  chin  now  rested 
on  his  breast.  "The  guard  is  asleep.  Do  you  un- 
derstand?" 

"Yes— All  right— O,  if  you  only  can !"  and  Tom's 
whisper  was  vibrant  with  hope.  "Keep  your  eyes 
on  the  guard  and  tell  me  if  he  wakes  up,"  and 
slowly,  so  slowly  that  to  the  anxiously  waiting  Trav 
he  seemed  hardly  to  move  at  all,  Tom  began  cau- 
tiously turning  over.  Five  minutes  later  he  lay 
with  his  back  to  Trav,  and  the  guard  still  slum- 
bered. 

"Now  you  keep  watch  of  the  guard,"  Trav  whis- 
pered, "and  let  me  know,  if  he  shows  any  signs  of 
waking  up,"  and  then  he  began  slowly  and  with  the 
utmost  caution  working  his  head  up  to  Tom's  bound 
hands. 

Another  five  minutes  passed — hours  it  seemed  to 
the  excited  boys — and  Trav's  mouth  had  reached 
the  thongs  of  deerskin. 


n8          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Hold  your  hands  as  close  together  as  possible," 
Trav  whispered,  "so  as  to  loosen  the  cords.  I'm 
going  to  begin  to  bite/'  and,  after  a  minute's  strug- 
gle, he  managed  to  get  a  strand  of  the  tightly-drawn 
deerskin  between  his  strong  white  teeth.  Then  he 
began  to  chew  and  bite  with  all  the  strength  of  his 
vigorous  young  jaws. 

The  position  in  which  Trav  was  obliged  to  lie 
while  chewing  was  an  extremely  difficult  one  to 
hold,  and  he  was  compelled  to  pause  every  three  or 
four  minutes  to  rest;  but,  after  half  an  hour  of 
effort,  he  felt  the  strong  thong  of  deerskin  giving, 
and,  in  another  minute,  the  thong  broke  between 
his  teeth. 

"Pull  your  hands  apart !  Pull  your  hands  apart !" 
he  whispered  excitedly.  "I've  chewed  the  thong  in 
two.  Pull  your  hands  apart !" 

Tom  at  once  began  jerking  and  twitching  his 
arms,  and,  in  a  few  moments,  the  broken  thong  of 
deerskin  fell  from  his  wrists  and  his  hands  were 
free. 

"Now,"  and  Tom's  voice  trembled  with  excite- 
ment, "turn  your  back  to  me  and  I  will  untie  your 
hands,  Trav." 

The  guard  still  slept,  his  chin  on  his  breast,  his 
arms  hanging  down  by  his  sides,  his  rifle  fallen 
into  his  lap,  utterly  unconscious  of  what  was  going 
on  around  him. 

For  a  moment  both  boys  lay  still,  their  eyes  on 
the  guard;  and  then,  as  he  still  appeared  to  be 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  119 

sleeping  soundly,  they  both  began  slowly  and  noise- 
lessly turning  over,  so  as  to  give  Tom  a  chance  to 
untie  Trav's  hands. 

The  knots  were  very  strongly  drawn,  and  it  was 
fully  ten  minutes  before  the  trembling  fingers  of 
the  excited  boy  could  untie  them. 

"Now  for  our  feet/'  Trav  whispered.  "I'll  untie 
yours  first,"  and,  still  lying  down,  he  crawled  to 
where  he  could  get  his  fingers  on  the  thongs  around 
Tom's  ankles,  and  soon  had  them  free. 

Five  minutes  later  both  boys  lay  side  by  side, 
with  arms  and  legs  free,  breathing  heavily,  their 
eyes  on  the  guard. 

If  he  would  only  continue  to  sleep  on ! 

They  must  formulate  some  plan  of  action  before 
they  arose  to  their  feet. 

"What  shall  we  do  about  Kitty  and  her  mother  ?" 
Tom  whispered,  his  heart  pounding  against  his  ribs. 
"Shall  we  try  to  take  them  with  us  ?" 

"We  cannot,  we  dare  not,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  any  of  us  to  escape,  if  we  did.  We  must  leave 
them,"  and  Trav's  voice  choked,  "until  we  can  find 
Davy  and  father,  and  then  we'll  hurry  back  to  their 
rescue.  Mother  will  understand.  She  will  know 
that  we  have  not  deserted  her  and  Kitty.  Are  you 
ready,  Tom  ? — But,  wait.  We  must  have  guns  and 
powder  and  ball.  We  would  starve  in  this  wilder- 
ness without  them,  and  we  must  have  something  to 
defend  ourselves  with.  Lie  quiet,  and  I  will  take  a 
look  around,  and  see  if  they  have  left  any  of  their 


120          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

guns  within  our  reach/'  and  very  cautiously  Trav 
rose  to  a  sitting  posture,  keeping  an  anxious  eye  on 
the  sleeping  guard,  and  glanced  around  the  camp. 

A  couple  of  rods  from  the  boys  and  within  six 
feet  of  where  Vasquez  and  two  of  his  men  lay  sleep- 
ing, three  rifles,  with  their  powder-horns  and  bul- 
let-pouches, stood  leaning  against  a  tree,  and,  with 
a  thrill  of  delight,  Trav  recognized  two  of  these 
guns  as  the  rifles  that  had  been  taken  from  Tom 
and  him. 

"Our  own  rifles/'  he  whispered  excitedly  to  Tom, 
crouching  down  by  his  side,  "are  standing  up 
against  a  tree,  right  near  where  Vasquez  is  sleep- 
ing. We  must  try  to  get  them.  Now,  are  you 
ready?" 

"Yes,"  and  Tom  began  cautiously  rising  to  his 
feet. 

For  a  minute  after  reaching  their  feet,  both  boys 
stood  silent,  hardly  daring  to  breathe,  their  eyes 
searching  swiftly  the  surrounding  camp  and  turn- 
ing anxiously  to  the  guard,  who  still  slept,  his  chin 
on  his  breast.  They  could  hear  his  deep,  regular 
breathing. 

"Not  a  soul  is  awake.  Now  is  our  time,"  whis- 
pered Trav  excitedly.  "Come  on.  We  will  get 
the  guns,"  and,  as  cautiously  and  as  noiselessly  as 
two  Indians,  they  moved  slowly  toward  the  tree 
against  which  the  three  guns  were  leaning,  their 
eyes  flashing  swift  glances  about  them  in  every 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  121 

direction  and  their  ears  keenly  alert  to  catch  every 
sound. 

Not  one  of  the  sleepers  moved.  Vasquez  lay 
with  his  face  toward  them.  The  dim  red  light  of 
the  camp-fire  shone  on  his  features  and  lighted  them 
indistinctly.  Both  boys  shuddered  when  they 
looked  on  that  hated  countenance,  villainous  and 
brutal  even  in  the  repose  of  sleep. 

What  if  he  should  awake! 

They  reached  the  tree,  and  for  a  brief  instant 
stood  trembling  within  six  feet  of  the  head  of  Vas- 
quez. The  slightest  noise — the  rattle  of  a  gun  bar- 
rel against  the  bark  of  the  tree,  the  snapping  of  a 
twig  underneath  their  feet — might  awake  him. 
There  must  be  no  noise.  Each  lad  glanced  into 
the  eyes  of  the  other,  and  each  drank  in  courage 
from  that  glance.  Then,  with  hands  that  no  longer 
trembled,  the  fingers  of  each  boy  closed  round  the 
barrel  of  his  own  gun  and  noiselessly  slipped  pow- 
der-horn and  bullet-pouch  over  his  shoulder. 

The  camp  had  been  made  in  a  little  glade  in  a 
woods.  On  one  side  of  this  glade  the  underbrush 
grew  thick.  Trav  now  pointed  to  the  underbrush; 
and  both  boys,  holding  their  rifles  in  their  hands 
and  stepping  as  softly  as  cats,  started  toward  the 
spot  where  the  brush  grew  thickest. 

But,  fortune  at  best  is  a  fickle  goddess.  She 
holds  the  desired  object  almost  within  our  grasp; 
then,  just  as  our  fingers  are  about  to  close  around 


122          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

it,  she  suddenly  jerks  it  away  and  leaves  us  to  our 
fate. 

Thus  it  was  with  Trav  and  Tom.  They  had  es- 
caped the  vigilance  of  the  guard,  they  had  freed 
their  hands  and  feet,  they  had  secured  their  guns, 
they  had  started  for  the  safety  of  the  underbrush, 
then,  when  they  had  almost  won  their  freedom,  the 
fickle  goddess  deserted  them. 

At  the  second  step  from  the  tree  Trav's  right 
foot  suddenly  went  down  into  a  hole  dug  by  some 
large  burrowing  animal ;  and  boy  and  rifle  fell  with 
a  clatter  to  the  ground.  A  glance  over  his  shoul- 
der, as  he  struggled  to  his  feet,  showed  Vasquez 
already  springing  up  from  his  blanket,  while  at  the 
same  moment,  his  yell  of  alarm  rang  out  through 
the  camp. 

"Run,  run  for  your  life!  Run!"  Trav  shouted 
to  Tom,  as  he  jerked  his  foot  out  of  the  hole  and 
attempted  to  regain  his  feet. 

But  the  brave  lad  had  no  thought  of  deserting 
his  comrade,  and,  turning  quickly,  he  caught  hold 
of  Trav's  shoulders  and  pulled  him  to  his  feet. 

"Quick,  fo  the  brush !"  he  whispered.  "The  way 
is  clear,"  and  started  on  the  run  for  the  underbrush. 

As  Trav  sprang  after  Tom  Vasquez,  upraised 
knife  in  his  hand,  was  not  six  feet  behind.  Another 
leap  and  the  Mexican  would  sheath  the  knife  in  the 
boy's  back. 

But  Trav  saw  his  danger;  and,  with  the  nimble- 
ness  of  a  deer,  jumped  to  one  side  just  as  Vasquez 


A  Struggle  for  Freedom  123 

sprang,  and,  before  the  Mexican  could  turn  or  leap 
out  of  his  way,  he  swung  his  rifle  above  his  head 
and  brought  its  heavy  butt  down  on  the  skull  of  his 
enemy,  with  a  thud  that  sent  the  man  to  the  ground 
like  a  dropped  log.  Then  he  leaped  after  Tom. 

Tremendous  now  was  the  excitement  in  camp. 
Rifles  flashed  and  banged  like  an  exploding  bunch 
of  firecrackers,  Mexicans  yelled  and  swore,  and 
above  all  the  fleeing  boys  heard  the  screams  of  Mrs. 
McNelly  and  Kitty. 

In  the  edge  of  the  underbrush  stood  two  large 
trees  about  six  feet  apart.  With  yells  of  triumph 
both  boys  sprang  between  these  trees,  and  leaped 
toward  the  underbrush.  But,  even  as  they  yelled, 
there  came  to  each  lad  a  blinding  crash  of  light, 
instantly  followed  by  black  nothingness;  and  the 
two  boys  lay  senseless  at  the  feet  of  two  of  the  camp 
sentinels,  who  had  stood  hidden  behind  the  two 
trees,  and  struck  the  boys  down  with  the  butts  of 
their  rifles,  as  they  sprang  between  them. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   HOOTING  OF  THE  OWLS 

WHEN  consciousness  returned  to  Trav  and 
Tom,  they  lay  a  few  feet  from  the  camp-fire, 
which  was  now  blazing  brightly,  staked  out  on  the 
hard  ground  spread-eagle  fashion.  That  is  to  say, 
they  had  been  laid  flat  on  their  backs  on  the  ground, 
their  arms  and  legs  spread  as  wide  apart  as  possi- 
ble, and  then  a  stake  had  been  driven  deep  into  the 
ground  by  the  side  of  each  hand  and  foot,  and  the 
hand  and  foot  firmly  tied  to  it  with  thongs  of  deer- 
skin. The  Mexicans  stood  around  them  in  a  circle, 
jabbering  and  gesticulating  excitedly.  For  a  min- 
ute or  two  their  brains  throbbed  and  whirled  so 
violently,  that  all  the  dark  and  scowling  faces 
and  black  flashing  eyes  appeared  to  be  dancing  and 
whirling  around  them  in  the  most  grotesque  and 
confusing  fashion;  and  then  their  brains  cleared 
and  they  could  see  distinctly. 

Directly  in  front  of  them  stood  Vasquez,  a  bloody 
bandage  tied  around  his  head,  and  a  villainous  glit- 
ter in  his  snake-like  eyes.  Trav,  even  in  his  pres- 
ent condition,  felt  a  thrill  of  keenest  satisfaction 
when  he  saw  that  bandage  and  remembered  that  it 

124 


The  Hooting  of  the  Owls  125 

was  his  own  hands  that  had  made  its  application 
necessary. 

The  eyes  of  Vasquez  were  on  the  faces  of  the 
two  boys,  and  when  he  saw  that  they  were  again 
conscious,  he  gave  Trav  a  kick  in  the  ribs  with  the 
toe  of  his  boot,  which  was  polite  Mexican  for,  "I 
am  going  to  speak.  Please  pay  attention." 

"Son  of  Big  Sam  McNelly,  who  crack  skulls  of 
Mexicans  with  bare  fist,"  he  began,  "you  think  you 
fool  Vasquez.  You  think  you  escape  his  right  ven- 
geance. No,  he  too  cunning  for  American  pigs. 
You  no  escape,  never.  I  no  kill,  not  even  for  this," 
and  he  touched  the  bandage  around  his  head,  while 
a  gleam  of  venom  shot  from  his  eyes.  "No,  I  not 
kill;  but  I  whip,  whip,  whip,"  his  voice  rose  into  a 
scream,  "whip  till  the  blood  run,  till  back  is  like 
raw  meat,  till  American  pigs  squeal  for  mercy,  but 
no  get  mercy.  I — I — " 

Here  his  wrath  fairly  choked  him,  and  he 
shrieked  and  spluttered  and  gesticulated  for  a  few 
minutes  longer;  and  then,  as  suddenly  as  it  came, 
the  heat  of  his  anger  cooled,  and,  turning  to  his 
men,  he  gave  a  command  in  Spanish. 

The  men  grinned,  as  if  the  command  had  a  pleas- 
ing sound  in  their  ears,  and  then  two  of  them 
quickly  approached  Trav,  and,  cutting  the  thongs 
of  deerskin  that  bound  his  hands  and  feet  to  the 
four  stakes,  jerked  him  to  his  feet  and  led  him  to  a 
tree  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  which  stood  a  little 
distance  away  but  where  the  bright  light  of  the 


126          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

camp-fire  shone  full  upon  it.  Here  they  jerked  off 
his  coat  and  shirt,  making  him  bare  to  the  waist, 
thrust  him,  face  first,  tight  up  against  the  tree,  and, 
each  catching  hold  of  an  arm,  they  both  pulled  them 
back  and  around  the  tree  and  tied  the  hands  firmly 
together,  thus  leaving  his  naked  back  ready  for  the 
cutting  lash  of  the  whip. 

Vasquez  picked  up  a  heavy  rawhide  whip,  and 
strode  to  the  tree  where  Trav  was  bound.  The 
other  Mexicans  all  circled  around  him,  their  eyes 
gleaming  wolfish  in  the  firelight.  Mrs.  McNelly 
sat,  with  white  face  and  tightly  compressed  lips, 
her  eyes  glowing  like  two  coals  of  fire.  She  did 
not  beg  for  mercy  for  her  boy.  She  knew  that  beg- 
ging would  be  useless,  and  she  would  not  give  the 
hated  Mexican  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her  weep 
and  beg;  but  her  mother-heart  was  wrung  by  the 
agony  of  the  thought  of  what  Trav  must  suffer. 
Kitty  was  not  as  stoical.  She  was  sobbing  vio- 
lently, her  face  hidden  in  her  mother's  lap.  She 
could  not  bear  to  see  the  whip  cut  the  white  flesh 
of  her  brother.  Tom  gritted  his  teeth  together, 
glared  at  Vasquez,  and  threatened  him  with  all 
kinds  of  dreadful  punishments,  if  he  but  dared  to 
lay  the  lash  of  his  whip  once  across  Trav's  back. 

"Your  turn  come  next,"  and  Vasquez  smiled 
down  on  the  raging  boy.  "No  talk  so  much  with 
tongue.  Save  tongue  to  yell  when  whip  cutting 
own  back.  Now  see  how  Mexican  whip  American 
pig,"  and  he  swung  the  whip  above  Trav's  back. 


The  Hooting  of  the  Owls  127 

At  this  moment  the  mournful  hoot  of  an  owl 
sounded  from  the  woods  to  the  right,  and  was 
quickly  answered  by  a  hoot  coming  from  the  woods 
to  the  left. 

Vasquez  paused,  the  whip  suspended  in  the  air, 
to  taunt  his  victim. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  he  laughed.  "Now  I  make  Amer- 
ican pig  squeal — wee!  wee!  Now  I  make  Amer- 
ican blood  run,  like  blood  of  dog.  Now  my  father, 
my  brother,  smile  in  his  grave,  and  say  Vasquez  he 
good  son,  good  brother,  he  revenge.  Now,  now 
I  strike!"  and,  rising  on  his  toes,  he  brought  the 
heavy  whip  down  with  all  his  strength  on  the  bare 
back  of  Trav. 

Even  as  the  whip  struck  the  hoot  of  another  owl 
sounded  from  the  woods  to  the  back,  and  was 
quickly  answered  by  a  hoot  from  the  woods  to  the 
front. 

Again  Vasquez  swung  the  whip  above  his  head ; 
but,  before  the  lash  could  fall,  the  sharp  bang  of  a 
rifle  broke  through  the  surrounding  silence,  and  the 
arm  that  held  the  whip  fell,  shattered  by  a  rifle 
ball. 

The  next  instant  it  seemed  to  the  startled  Mex- 
icans as  if  rifles  were  cracking  all  around  them;  and, 
from  the  yells  that  sounded  in  their  ears,  they  were 
sure  that  at  least  a  regiment  was  charging  down 
upon  them.  This  was  more  than  Mexican  flesh 
and  blood  were  made  to  stand,  and,  with  wild  £ries 
of  terror,  every  man,  who  had  not  been  hit  by  the 


128          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

flying  bullets,  fled,  not  stopping  even  to  pick  up  a 
rifle  or  other  weapon,  only  anxious  to  get  out  of 
reach  of  the  deadly  bullets  and  strong  arms  of  the 
terrible  Americans  as  quickly  as  possible;  and  in 
less  time  than  it  has  taken  to  tell  it,  not  one  of  the 
Mexicans  able  to  run  was  in  sight. 

Trav,  during  all  this  excitement  of  yelling  men, 
cracking  rifles,  and  screeching  Mexicans,  had  been 
struggling  desperately  to  release  himself  from  his 
bonds,  so  as  to  take  a  part  in  the  rescue  that  he 
knew  was  being  made;  but,  twist  and  squirm  and 
jerk  and  pull  as  he  might,  he  could  not  free  his 
hands  from  the  strong  thongs  that  bound  his  arms 
around  the  tree.  Then,  suddenly,  a  tall  form  darted 
by  his  side,  and  the  next  instant  the  thongs  of  deer- 
skin fell  from  his  wrists,  cut  by  the  keen  blade  of  a 
knife,  and  he  staggered  back  from  the  tree. 

"Great  bobcats,  if  'tain't  Trav  McNelly !"  and  the 
long  arms  of  Davy  Crockett  were  around  Trav  be- 
fore the  boy  had  fairly  recovered  his  equilibrium. 
"If  I'd  a  knowed  it  was  your  hide  that  Greaser  was 
a-trying  to  cut  red  ribbons  out  of,  I'd  just  told  Bet- 
sey to  speak  her  little  word  before  the  first  blow 
fell ;  but  we  wanted  every  man  to  be  in  his  place 
before  we  let  loose." 

"But — but,  where  are  the  Mexicans?"  queried 
Trav,  struggling  from  Davy's  arms  and  looking 
anxiously  around. 

"Scratching  hide  and  kicking  gravel,"  chuckled 
Crockett,  "as  fast  as  their  legs  can  take  them 


The  Hooting  of  the  Owls  129 

through  the  brush,  all  that  can  run.  Scared  worse 
than  a  flock  of  squawking  geese.  Reckon  they 
thought  General  Sam  and  the  whole  Texan  army 
were  a-charging  down  upon  them  like  a  steamboat 
a-fire,"  and  he  chuckled  again.  "Every  mother's 
son  of  them  broke  for  the  woods  like  a  gang  of 
stampeding  steers  the  moment  we  began  to  shoot 
and  yell.  But,"  and  his  eyes  turned  quickly  to  a 
little  scene  that  was  being  enacted  the  other  side 
of  the  camp-fire,  "I  see  Sam's  a-getting  more  than 
his  share  of  hugs  and  kisses.  Come  on.  Let's 
bust  the  monopoly/'  and  he  hurried  to  where  Mrs. 
McNelly  and  Kitty  and  Big  Sam  McNelly  stood 
locked  in  one  another's  arms. 

Trav  paused  only  long  enough  to  throw  on  his 
shirt  and  coat,  and  then  hastened  to  the  rejoicing 
group  around  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  and  Tom, 
who  had  been  freed  by  his  father,  who  was  one  of 
the  rescuers. 

For  ten  minutes  at  least  Big  Sam  McNelly  and 
Davy  Crockett  and  Jonas  Gifford  and  the  two  boys 
and  Kitty  and  her  mother  were  the  happiest  human 
beings  in  all  Texas.  Like  her  namesake,  Kitty 
snuggled  up  in  her  father's  great  arms,  and  lay 
with  her  soft  cheek  nestled  warmly  against  his 
rough  bearded  one,  her  arms  around  his  neck,  too 
happy  and  contented  in  that  safe  haven  of  refuge 
to  care  to  do  or  say  anything,  only  just  to  lie  there 
and  smile  happily  at  all  the  others.  But  the  others ! 
How  they  shook  one  another's  hands,  and  talked, 


130  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  laughed,  yes,  and  cried  a  little — tears  of  joy — 
not  one  of  my  readers  needs,  I  am  sure,  to  be  told, 
for  the  heart  of  each  will  picture  to  himself  that 
joyous  reunion,  under  such  dramatic  circumstances, 
better  than  any  words  of  mine  can. 

Davy  Crockett  was  the  first  to  recall  the  fact  that 
they  were  not  yet  "out  of  the  woods,"  as  he  put  it, 
and  that  they  had  better  leave  the  telling  of  their 
stories  until  they  had  found  a  safer  place. 

"Not  that  I  reckon  any  of  them  Greasers  we 
scared  will  be  coming  back,"  he  said,  chuckling  and 
grinning.  "Nothing  short  of  Santa  Anna  and  the 
whole  Mexican  army  could  stop  them;  but,  with 
all  our  yelling  and  shooting  and  the  screeching  of 
the  Mexicans,  this  particular  spot  has  been  too  well 
advertised  for  our  safety.  Supposing  some  of  them 
Mexican  soldiers  that  we  know  are  roaming  here- 
abouts heard  the  rumpus,  and  started  out  to  investi- 
gate. Now,  I  reckon,  it  would  be  safer  for  us  to 
be  somewhere  else  during  that  investigation,  as  the 
fleas  said,  as  they  made  quick  jumps  for  their  lives, 
when  the  Scotchman  tumbled  into  a  vat  of  boiling 
oil ;  and  we'd  better  make  a  quick  jump  away  from 
here." 

This  was  too  good  advice  to  be  neglected;  and, 
for  the  present,  the  stories  of  their  various  ad- 
ventures, since  that  fatal  day  of  the  great  bear-hunt, 
were  postponed  until  they  could  be  told  where  there 
was  less  likelihood  of  interruption. 

Now,  for  the  first  time  since  their  rescue,  the 


The  Hooting  of  the  Owls  131 

boys  had  eyes  for  others  than  Mrs.  McNelly  and 
Kitty  and  Sam  and  Davy  and  Jonas  Gifford,  and 
glanced  around,  expecting  to  see  at  least  half  a 
dozen  of  the  stalwart  men  of  their  section  of  coun- 
try standing  near,  leaning  on  their  long-barreled 
rifles ;  but  they  saw  only  one  man,  and  he  a  stranger, 
bending  over  one  of  the  wounded  Mexicans. 

"Why,  Davy,  where  are  the  rest  of  your  men?" 
and  Trav  turned  inquiringly  to  Crockett. 

"There  ain't  no  rest.  We  four  did  it  all  with 
our  little  mouths  and  guns,"  laughed  Davy  Crock- 
ett. 

"But  there  were  thirteen  Mexicans,  and  six  of 
them  were  soldiers  right  from  Santa  Anna's  army, 
and  they  all  ran  without  so  much  as  firing  a  gun !" 
and  the  astonished  boy  stared  around,  as  if  he  could 
hardly  believe  the  evidences  of  his  own  eyes. 

"You  bet  they  ran,"  grinned  Crockett,  "a-squeal- 
ing  worse  than  the  pig  did  when  the  devil  turned 
barber,  all  excepting  those  our  rifles  told  to  stop 
and  lie  down.  Now,  I  wonder,"  and  his  face  hard- 
ened, "if  we  got  that  ornery  skin  full  of  poison  that's 
responsible  for  all  this  trouble.  I  know  Betsey 
knocked  a  hole  through  his  whip-arm,  and  I  reck- 
oned on  capturing  the  skunk  alive;  but,  somehow, 
during  the  scrimmage  I  lost  sight  of  him.  Hope 
one  of  the  other  men  finished  the  job.  I'm  going 
to  find  out,"  and  he  started  toward  the  spot  where 
three  of  the  Mexicans  lay  dead  on  the  ground,  the 
result  of  that  fatal  first  rifle  volley,  and  two  others, 


132          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

badly  wounded,  sat  propped  up  against  trees,  alter- 
nately groaning  and  begging  for  mercy. 

Crockett  first  examined  the  three  dead  men. 
Vasquez  was  not  among  them.  Then  he  gave  his 
attention  to  the  two  wounded  Mexicans.  Again  he 
was  doomed  to  disappointment. 

"Seen  anything  of  that  bunch  of  Mexican  poison 
that  was  holding  the  whip  over  the  back  of  a  free- 
born  American,  Bill?"  and  Crockett  turned  to  the 
stranger,  who  stood  near,  watching  him  curiously 
as  he  examined  the  bodies. 

"Certain,"  answered  Bill,  grinning.  "He  led  the 
procession;  and  was  a-going  like  a  young  steam- 
boat, a-holding  onto  his  arm  and  a-screaming  like 
a  hurt  painter.  I  reckon  he's  pretty  nigh  down  to 
Mexico  by  this  time.  Want  him  particular, 
Colonel?" 

"Want  him  ?"  and  Crockett  brought  the  butt  of  his 
rifle  down  on  the  ground  with  a  thud.  "Why,  he  was 
the  head  and  tail  and  the  skin  and  the  inwards  of 
this  whole  wicked  business.  Want  him?  Well,  I 
reckon  Sam  and  I  did  want  him !  But,  what's  the 
use  of  crying  for  cream  after  the  milk  is  spilt? 
Now,  what's  to  be  done  with  the  dead  ?  Don't  seem 
white  to  leave  them  for  the  wolves,  even  if  they  be 
Greasers;  and  we  can't  stop  now  to  dig  graves  for 
them." 

"We'll  strap  them  on  the  backs  of  three  of  the 
horses,  Davy,"  and  Sam  McNelly  joined  the  two 
men,  "and  take  them  with  us  until  we  can  get  a 


The  Hooting  of  the  Owls  133 

chance  to  put  them  under  the  ground.  'Twouldn't 
be  Christian  to  leave  them  atop  the  dirt ;  and  we've 
horses  to  spare,  now  that  we've  captured  all  them," 
and  he  pointed  to  where  the  horses  of  the  Mexicans 
stood  tied  to  the  trees  in  the  edge  of  the  little  clear- 
ing. 

"And  the  wounded?"  inquired  Davy. 

"Of  course  we'll  take  them  along.  We  ain't  In- 
juns or  Greasers,"  and  Big  Sam  McNelly  looked  a 
bit  indignantly  at  Crockett.  "Now  we'd  better  get 
a  hustle  out  of  here,"  and  he  hurried  away  to  help 
saddle  and  bridle  the  horses. 

In  those  rough  pioneer  days  nearly  all  men  and 
women  were  sufficiently  skilled  in  a  rude  but  ef- 
fective surgery  to  care  for  the  hurts  received  in 
fights  with  man  or  beast;  and  Mrs.  McNelly,  as 
soon  as  she  learned  that  two  of  the  Mexicans  had 
been  badly  wounded,  at  once  hastened  to  them,  and, 
with  all  of  a  woman's  tenderness,  dressed  and 
bound  up  their  wounds  as  carefully  and  as  gently  as 
she  would  have  done  had  they  been  her  dear  friends 
instead  of  her  hated  enemies. 

The  two  Mexicans  were  wildly  grateful.  Evi- 
dently they  had  expected  no  such  treatment  from 
their  enemies,  but  had  supposed  that  they  would  be 
left  to  die  uncared  for  where  they  had  fallen,  as, 
doubtless,  they  would  have  left  any  of  the  Amer- 
icans had  they  fallen  wounded  into  their  hands  un- 
der similar  circumstances. 

Scarcely  ten  minutes  passed/ so  swiftly  did  all 


134          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

hands  move,  before  the  horses  were  saddled  and 
bridled,  the  wounded  and  the  dead  securely  fas- 
tened on  the  backs  of  spare  horses  and  our  friends 
mounted  and  ready  to  depart. 

The  camp  of  Sam  McNelly  and  his  companions 
was  only  about  half  a  mile  away,  in  a  little  wooded 
valley  surrounded  by  hills ;  and  thither  our  friends 
hurried  as  speedily  as  possible,  carrying  with  them 
all  the  guns  and  camp  equipments  left  by  the  fright- 
ened Mexicans.  Here  were  the  horses  of  the  four 
men,  and  here,  to  Trav's  especial  delight,  he  found 
Bing.  Sam  McNelly  had  tied  the  faithful  dog  to  a 
tree,  in  order  to  prevent  him  from  following  them, 
when  they  started  out  to  investigate  the  noise  made 
at  the  Mexican  camp  during  the  excitement  of  the 
boys'  attempted  escape. 

After  a  short  consultation,  it  was  decided  that  it 
would  be  safer  to  seek  a  new  camping-place.  Bill 
Thomas,  the  man  who  was  with  Davy  and  Sam  and 
Jonas,  had  often  hunted  through  this  section  and 
was  familiar  with  the  country.  He  now  took  the 
lead,  and  conducted  the  party  to  another  little  val- 
ley, hidden  away  in  the  woods  a  couple  of  miles  dis- 
tant ;  and  here,  on  the  grassy  banks  of  a  little  stream 
of  water,  our  friends  went  into  camp,  too  anxious  to 
hear  the  adventures  of  the  rescued  and  the  rescuers, 
since  they  had  become  separated,  to  think  of  sleep 
until  all  had  been  told. 


CHAPTER  X 

HOW  IT  ALL  HAPPENED 

UNTOW,"  and  Davy  Crockett  glanced  around 
1  ^  smilingly  at  the  little  group  seated  on  their 
blankets  around  the  blazing  camp-fire  that  had  been 
quickly  built  under  the  overhanging  branches  of  two 
huge  cottonwood  trees,  "I  move  that  Mother  Jane 
open  this  session  by  stating  to  the  house — " 

"Hold  on,  Davy,"  interrupted  Sam  McNelly 
laughing.  "You  must  think  you're  back  in  Con- 
gress 'stead  of  Texas." 

"Shut  up.  What  do  you  know  about  Congress? 
You  never  fired  off  your  tongue  in  the  marble  halls 
of  our  national  legislature,"  and  Crockett  attempted 
to  scowl  ferociously  at  Big  Sam  McNelly,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  giving  such  a  comical  twist  to  his  expres- 
sive countenance  that  everyone  laughed.  Indeed, 
so  overjoyed  were  all  at  the  rescue  of  Mrs.  McNelly 
and  Kitty  and  the  two  boys,  after  the  long  terrible 
days  of  suspense  and  anxiety,  that  their  delight  had 
been  continually  bubbling  to  the  surface  in  merry 
jokes  and  happy  laughs  ever  since  they  left  the  Mex- 
ican camp,  and  their  risibilities  were  still  in  that 
pleasant  condition  when  laughter  and  smiles  follow 
every  little  joke  or  comical  look  or  act. 

135 


136          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Now,"  continued  Crockett,  still  glaring  at  Sam 
McNelly,  "if  you  open  that  big  mouth  of  yours 
again  to  cast  any  more  aspersions,  as  I  heard  a  fel- 
low in  Washington  say,  on  yours  truly,  I'll  chuck 
this  down  your  gullet,"  and  he  picked  up  a  live 
mud-turtle,  about  the  size  of  his  hand,  that  had  been 
allured  thither  by  the  light  and  warmth  of  the  fire, 
and  held  it  up  threateningly,  his  eyes  twinkling  and 
his  face  struggling  to  preserve  a  look  of  severity. 

"Don't,  Davy.  I'll  be  mum.  I  draw  the  line  at 
swallowing  mud-turtles,"  and  Sam's  teeth  came  to- 
gether like  the  jaws  of  a  steel  trap,  in  simulated 
horror. 

"There,"  and  Crockett  again  turned  to  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly, after  the  laughter  had  subsided,  "I  reckon 
you  can  now  have  the  floor — ground  I  mean — 
without  interruption,  madam,"  and  he  bowed. 
"Kindly  proceed  to  inform  this  august  assemblage 
— I  learnt  them  words  too  at  Washington — by 
what  wonderful  tricks  of  magic  that  ornery  Greaser 
got  you  and  Kitty-Cat  in  his  power,  without  your 
scratching  his  face  to  a  flitter  jig.  I  didn't  reckon 
there  was  a  Greaser  in  all  Mexico  that  could  do 
that  deed  and  not  have  so  much  as  a  scratch  to 
show  for  it.  But,  I  reckon,  you  was  took  under- 
handed someway." 

"Indeed  and  we  were,"  and  Mrs.  McNelly's  face 
sobered,  while  her  eyes  began  to  snap.  "If  we 
hadn't  have  been  'twould  have  taken  more'n  a  dozen 
cowardly  Mexicans,  let  alone  two,  to  have  got  us, 


How  It  All  Happened  137 

wouldn't  it,  Kitty?  "  and  she  stroked  gently  the  soft 
hair  of  her  girl,  who  sat  between  her  mother  and 
father,  half  reclining  in  her  mother's  lap. 

Kitty  smiled  up  at  her  mother  and  squeezed  the 
hand  of  her  father  that  she  was  holding,  but  made 
no  other  answer. 

"Of  course  I  ought  not  to  have  been  fooled  so 
easily,  knowing  Mexicans  as  well  as  I  do,"  con- 
tinued Mrs.  McNelly;  "but  when  that  snaky  Vas- 
quez — ugh,  how  I  hate  that  man!"  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly shrugged  her  shoulders  and  made  a  wry  face, 
as  if  even  uttering  the  name  left  a  bad  taste  in 
her  mouth — "and  another  Mexican,  who  appeared 
to  be  so  weak  that  he  could  hardly  keep  in  his 
saddle,  rode  up  to  the  door  of  the  house,  and  Vas- 
quez  told  me  that  he  had  found  the  man  starving 
in  the  woods,  and  begged  that  I  would  get  him 
something  to  eat,  what  could  I  do  but  ask  them 
both  into  the  house?"  and  Mrs.  McNelly  glanced 
around  the  circle,  a  troubled  look  on  her  motherly 
face. 

"Right,  right,  you  did  just  right,"  broke  in  Sam 
McNelly.  "Greasers  or  Injuns,  blacks  or  whites, 
ain't  never  to  be  turned  from  the  door  of  Sam 
McNelly  starving.  But,"  and  the  hard  lines  on 
his  strong  face  deepened,  "God  help  the  miserable 
soul  of  a  man  who  can  use  the  sympathies  of  a 
woman  and  child  to  get  the  chance  to  do  them 
hurt!" 

"Reckon  'twould  puzzle  God  Almighty  Himself 


138          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to  find  any  soul  in  such  a  skunk,"  Crockett  de- 
clared, his  eyes  glinting  angrily.  "But,  go  on, 
Mother  Jane,  I  can't  see  even  now  how  the  skunks 
got  the  best  of  you  and  Kitty-Cat  so  easy." 

"'Twas  by  a  cowardly,  mean,  dirty  Mexican 
trick,"  Mrs.  McNelly  protested  indignantly.  "When 
they  came  into  the  house  they  wore  their  Mexican 
blankets ;  and  the  moment  Kitty  and  I  both  turned 
our  backs  to  them  at  the  same  time,  they  flung 
the  blankets  over  our  heads  and  shoulders  and 
arms,  and  then,  before  either  of  us  could  get  so 
much  as  a  finger  out  from  under  the  blankets,  they 
had  us  all  tied  up  with  ropes  like  bales  of  hay,  and 
we  were  flung  on  their  saddles  in  front  of  them, 
and  they  rode  swiftly  away.  In  about  an  hour 
they  were  joined  by  five  other  Mexicans,  and  now 
all  halted  long  enough  to  take  the  blankets  off  our 
heads.  Then  one  of  the  men  took  Kitty  up  in 
front  of  him  on  the  saddle,  and  I  was  placed  on 
the  back  of  an  extra  horse,  and  my  feet  tied  to- 
gether under  the  horse's  belly;  and  again  we  hur- 
ried on,  traveling  as  swiftly  as  the  Mexicans  could 
•make  the  horses  go,  hour  after  hour,  without  stop- 
ping a  moment. 

"A  little  before  sundown  we  came  to  a  big  cane- 
brake  that  seemed  to  have  no  beginning  nor  end; 
and  here  the  Mexicans  halted,  while  one  of  them 
dismounted  and  began  searching  along  the  edge 
of  the  canebrake.  Presently  this  man  gave  a  shout, 
as  if  he  had  found  what  he  was  searching  for ;  but, 


How  It  All  Happened  139 

before  I  could  see  what  it  was,  a  blanket  was  again 
thrown  over  my  head,  making  it  impossible  for  me 
to  see  anything,  and  we  began  moving  forward 
again,  now  very  slowly,  as  if  every  step  was  taken 
with  the  utmost  caution.  For,  I  should  think,  fif- 
teen minutes  we  moved  along  slowly  in  this  cautious 
way,  then  the  horses  were  urged  into  a  slow  trot; 
and  ten  minutes  later  we  again  halted,  and  the 
blankets  were  pulled  off  our  heads,  for  Kitty  had 
been  blanketed  in  the  same  way  I  had  been;  and, 
when  we  looked  around,  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
little  opening  cut  in  the  canebrake,  with  the  tall 
canes  surrounding  it  on  all  sides.  The  Mexicans 
now  dismounted,  and,  unsaddling  and  unbridling 
their  horses,  they  fastened  them  to  the  canes  and 
began  making  ready  to  camp  there  for  the  night. 
"Kitty  and  I,  the  moment  we  had  been  taken 
off  the  horses,  had  had  our  hands  and  feet  tightly 
bound  and  had  been  roughly  thrown  on  the  ground 
and  told  to  lie  there;  but  now  Vasquez  himself 
came  and  unbound  us  and  bade  us  get  up;  and 
when  I  started  to  thank  him,  he  burst  out  laughing, 
and  told  us  that  we  were  now  his  servants,  his 
slaves,  that  slaves  did  all  their  master's  dirty  work, 
that  he  had  freed  our  hands  and  feet  so  that  we 
might  get  them  something  to  eat,  and  that,  if  we 
did  not  do  as  he  told  us  to,  he  would  whip  us, 
whip  us  the  same  as  he  would  a  horse  or  dog  be- 
longing to  him.  He  then  ordered  us  to  the  fire, 
which  some  of  his  men  had  built,  gave  us  a  chunk 


140          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

of  venison  and  a  little  coffee  and  coarse  flour,  and 
bade  us  get  it  ready  for  them  to  eat  and  drink." 

During  this  recital  Big  Sam  McNelly's  great  fist 
had  clenched  itself  more  than  once,  and  he  had  mut- 
tered, "Scoundrel,"  "Skunk,"  "Coward,"  "Villain," 
"Rascal,"  "Brute,"  "Reptile,"  and  several  other 
epithets  that  plainly  indicated  his  feelings  toward 
the  Mexican;  but,  when  Mrs.  McNelly  told  how 
Vasquez  had  threatened  to  whip  her  and  Kitty,  as 
he  would  a  dog,  his  rage  mastered  him,  and,  leap- 
ing to  his  feet,  he  roared :  "Did  he — did  the  cow- 
ardly skunk  dare  to  touch  you  with  his  whip?  If 
he  did,  I'll  lash  red  ribbons  out  of  his  back,  if  I 
have  to  search  all  Mexico  for  him !" 

"And  I'll  go  with  you !"  broke  in  Crockett.  "I'll 
go  with  you,  Sam !  The  cur,  the  cowardly  cur,  to 
dare  to  touch  a  white  woman  with  a  whip !" 

"No,  no,  he  did  not  strike  us,"  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly's eyes  were  full  of  loving  gratification,  as  they 
glanced  from  the  face  of  her  husband  to  that  of 
Davy  Crockett.  "We  gave  him  no  reason  to  strike 
us;  but  did  whatever  we  were  told  to  do,  so  long 
as  it  was  anything  fit  to  be  done  by  white  folks." 

"And  you  and  Kitty  had  to  wait  on  them  dirty 
Greasers,  as  if  you  were  their  niggers!"  growled 
Sam  McNelly.  "There— there,"  he  added  quickly, 
when  he  saw  the  flush  that  came  on  Mrs.  McNelly's 
cheeks  at  his  words,  "I  ain't  hinting  that  what  you 
did  wasn't  proper  and  right,  'cause  'twas  the  wisest 
and  bravest  thing  you  could  have  done ;  but  it  goes 


How  It  All  Happened  141 

powerful  against  my  grain  to  think  of  you  and  Kitty 
being  ordered  round  by  a  lot  of  worthless  Greasers, 
as  if  you  were  their  niggers.  You  were  mighty 
brave  and  plucky,  and  I'm  proud  of  you  both,"  and 
he  bent  and  kissed  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty,  as  he 
reseated  himself. 

"After  the  Mexicans  had  eaten  what  they 
wanted,"  Mrs.  McNelly  continued,  appeased  and 
gratified  by  her  husband's  words  of  praise,  "Vas- 
quez  sent  two  of  the  men  to  guard  the  passageway 
to  the  opening  in  the  canebrake;  and  the  others, 
after  strongly  tying  Kitty  and  me  hand  and  foot, 
rolled  themselves  up  in  their  blankets  and  lay  down 
near  the  camp-fire. 

"Along  about  the  middle  of  the  night  one  of  the 
guards  came  running  back  in  great  excitement,  and 
awoke  Vasquez  and  the  other  Mexicans.  For  a 
few  minutes  there  was  the  liveliest  kind  of  jabber- 
ing; and  then  Vasquez  and  all  the  others,  except 
one  who  was  left  to  watch  Kitty  and  me,  picked  up 
their  blankets  and  hurried  away  with  the  guard, 
leaving  us  just  a  little  hopeful  that  somehow  you 
had  got  onto  our  trail  in  the  canebrake  and  were 
coming  to  our  rescue.  But,  in  less  than  an  hour, 
the  Mexicans  returned,  carrying  on  their  backs 
three  bundles  rolled  up  in  blankets  and  tightly 
wound  round  with  ropes,  which  they  threw  on  the 
ground  with  many  laughs  and  jokes,  as  if  they  were 
greatly  pleased  over  something. 

"Kitty  and  I  were  now  untied  and  arrogantly 


142          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

ordered  to  get  something  ready  at  once  for  the  men 
to  eat.  I  was  in  a  dreadful  fright  on  account  of 
the  bundles,  for  they  looked  like  human  beings  tied 
up  in  blankets ;  but  I  did  not  dare  say  a  word,  and 
hurried  to  the  fire  and  began  roasting  a  chunk  of 
venison  thrust  on  the  end  of  a  long  stick.  I  was 
still  all  of  a-tremble  with  the  thought  of  what  might 
be  in  those  blankets;  and,  when  suddenly  I  heard 
Trav  call,  'Mother! — Kitty!'  I  forgot  everything 
but  my  boy,  and,  dropping  the  meat  into  the  fire, 
whirled  round  and  started  to  run  to  where  he  stood. 
But,"  and  Mrs.  McNelly's  kindly  eyes  flashed  an- 
grily, "a  big  brute  of  a  Mexican  stopped  me.  Not 
once  while  we  were  prisoners  were  Kitty  and  I  al- 
lowed to  speak  a  word  to  the  boys,  and  I  the  mother 
of  one  of  them !" 

"But — but  you  didn't  tell  how  you  nearly  bit  the 
finger  off  one  of  the  Mexicans,  and  stuck  the  chunk 
of  hot  meat  in  his  face,  and  burnt  the  end  of  his 
nose,  and  tumbled  him  over  flat  on  his  back  on  the 
ground !"  broke  in  Trav  excitedly.  "Tell  Davy  and 
dad  about  that,  mother." 

"It  is  not  for  me  to  boast  of  my  conquests," 
laughed  Mrs.  McNelly.  "I'll  leave  that  for  you, 
Trav.  But  it  did  do  me  a  sight  of  good  to  hear  that 
Mexican  howl,  and  to  see  him  go  tumbling  over  on 
his  back  holding  to  his  nose.  Reckon  he  won't 
clap  his  dirty  hand  over  another  white  woman's 
mouth.  Ugh!  It  makes  me  sick  just  to  think  of 
that  dirty  finger!" 


How  It  All  Happened  143 

"Sure,  and  we  must  hear  all  about  that  dirty 
finger  and  hot  chunk  of  meat  and  burnt  nose," 
laughed  Davy  Crockett.  "I  knowed  Mother  Jane 
would  get  in  her  work  on  the  Mexicans  somehow, 
and  my  ears  are  just  aching  to  hear  how  she  done 
it;  and  being  that  your  mother's  modest,  like  my- 
self, I  reckon  you'll  have  to  give  us  the  history, 
Trav,  so  blaze  away/' 

Then  Trav  told  how  Mrs.  McNelly  served  the 
Mexican,  who  thought  to  stop  her  talking  to  Kitty 
by  clapping  his  dirty  hand  over  her  mouth;  and 
all  laughed  heartily  over  the  discomfiture  of  the 
enemy. 

"Now,"  and  Crockett  again  turned  to  Trav,  "Sam 
and  I  are  mighty  curious  to  know  how  you  boys 
came  to  let  them  Greasers  truss  you  up  like  Egyp- 
tian mummies  in  their  grave  clothes." 

"Well,"  answered  Trav,  flushing,  "I  don't  sup- 
pose it  is  much  to  our  credit,  but  we  were  caught 
much  the  same  as  mother  and  Kitty  were — blank- 
eted" ;  and  then  he  narrated  what  had  happened  to 
Tom  and  him,  since  his  father  and  Davy  rode  away 
from  the  horse  corral  on  that  eventful  day  of  the 
big  bear-hunt. 

"There,  that's  it !  That  explains  how  we  lost  the 
trail  at  Canebrake  Creek,  Davy,"  Sam  McNelly 
broke  in  excitedly,  when  Trav  reached  the  part  of 
his  narrative  that  told  how  they  had  discovered 
the  concealed  opening  into  the  canebrake.  "If  we 
hadn't  been  so  doggoned  certain  that  the  Mexicans 


144          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

had  pushed  right  on  westward  straight  for  the 
Mexican  settlements,  and  had  waited  'til  daylight 
at  Canebrake  Creek,  we'd  surely  have  found  that 
opening  ourselves;  and  then,"  and  his  great  fist 
came  down  on  one  knee  to  give  emphasis  to  his 
words,  "I'd  like  to  have  seen  them  Greasers  try 
that  blanket  game  on  Davy  and  me!  But  'twas 
cunning,  mighty  cunning  in  the  Greasers;  and 
sneaky,  like  a  Mexican,"  he  added,  unwilling  to 
give  even  that  small  measure  of  praise  to  a  Mexi- 
can, without  qualifying  it.  "Now,  go  on,  Trav. 
It's  powerful  interesting." 

"Let  them  have  a  sample  of  your  teeth,  did  you, 
you  old  bear-smeller !"  Davy  Crockett  chuckled  when 
Trav  described  the  escape  of  Bing.  "Smartest  dog 
I  ever  knowed,  and  better  than  all  of  us  put  to- 
gether hunting  Greasers,"  and  he  clapped  Bing 
heartily  on  the  back  and  stroked  his  fur. 

Bing  wagged  his  tail,  and  cocked  his  head  a  lit- 
tle to  one  side,  and  looked  up  into  Crockett's  face, 
as  if  he  understood  every  word  he  said,  and  doubt- 
less he  did. 

"Thought  it  was  time  you  were  digging  out  for 
Sam  and  me  then,  did  you?"  Crockett  continued, 
still  patting  Bing.  "Wanted  to  show  us  how  we'd 
let  them  Mexicans  fool  us,  didn't  you,  you  old  hairy 
sinner — But,  that  is  our  story.  On  with  your  tale 
of  woe,  Trav.  It's  'most  as  interesting  as  a  story 
book." 

When  Trav  had  completed  his  narrative  of  their 


How  It  All  Happened  145 

adventures  while  prisoners  of  the  Mexicans,  Sam 
McNelly  and  Davy  Crockett  were  two  very  wrath- 
ful men;  and  it  was  some  little  time  before  their 
righteous  anger  cooled  down  sufficiently  to  allow 
them  to  relate  the  story  of  their  own  adventures. 

"You  tell  it,  Davy,"  Sam  McNelly  entreated, 
when  importuned  to  begin  the  narrative.  "You 
can  tell  it  better  than  I  can ;  besides,  hearing  about 
the  cussedness  of  them  Greasers  has  got  me  so  riled 
up  that  I  can't  think  of  nothing  but  how  good  it 
would  seem  to  be  a-horsewhipping  that  Vasquez. 
If  ever/'  and  he  gritted  his  teeth  and  clenched  his 
huge  fists,  "if  ever  I  meet  that  cowardly  cur,  I'll 
horsewhip  him  until  he  can't  stand !" 

"I'm  so  mad  that  I'm  burning  inside  like  a  tar- 
kiln,"  growled  Crockett,  his  strong  fingers  gripping 
tightly  the  barrel  of  his  beloved  Betsey.  "Made 
Mother  Jane  and  Kitty-Cat  cook  and  slave  for  him 
like  niggers,  did  he?  Well,  there  won't  be  no 
horsewhipping  if  I  meet  the  ornery  cuss.  There'll 
be  just  one  short,  sharp  word  from  Betsey,  same 
as  they  would  be  if  I  met  a  poison  rattler,  and  then 
there'll  be  one  more  Mexican  moving  post-haste  for 
a  warmer  climate." 

"But,  we  want  to  hear  your  story.  We  want  to 
know  how  you  let  the  Mexicans  fool  you,  and  why 
you  didn't  find  us  before,  and  how  you  happened 
to  be  on  hand  just  in  time  to  save  Trav  from  that 
licking,"  protested  Tom. 

"Well,  I  reckon  you  want  to  know  'bout  all  there 


146          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

is  to  know,  young  fellow,"  grinned  Crockett,  the 
anger  vanishing  from  his  face  like  a  cloud  from  a 
summer-sky.  "'Tain't  much  of  a  story,  and  'twon't 
take  long  in  the  telling,  which  is  fortunate,  seeing 
that  I'm  getting  mighty  sleepy;  but,  such  as  it  is, 
you  are  as  welcome  to  it  as  the  beggar  was  to  the 
old  woman's  pudding." 

"Now,"  and  Crockett  adjusted  himself  to  a  more 
comfortable  position  on  his  blanket,  "when  we  rode 
away  from  Sam's  horse  corral,  we  calculated  that 
the  Mexicans  would  make  straight  as  a  string  and 
as  fast  as  horses'  legs  could  carry  them  direct  for 
the  ford  of  the  Brazos,  that  being  the  shortest  way 
to  the  Mexican  settlements  to  the  west;  so  we 
didn't  bother  to  follow  the  trail,  but  rode  like  a 
couple  of  young  hurricanes  straight  for  the  river, 
where  we  found  a  piece  of  Kitty-Cat's  dress  hang- 
ing to  a  thorn-bush,  which  told  us  we  were  all  right 
so  far.  Stopped  here  only  long  enough  to  scribble 
the  note  we  left  for  Trav;  and  then  hurried  on, 
following  the  trail  of  the  Greasers,  which  was 
plenty  plain,  they  being  too  anxious  to  get  as  far 
away  as  possible  before  dark  to  bother  to  hide  the 
trail.  It  was  after  sundown  when  we  reached  the 
big  canebrake  along  Canebrake  Creek,  and  of 
course  we  couldn't  see  the  trail  now ;  but  we  thought 
we  knowed  it  all,  that  the  Mexicans  would  push 
rii^ht  through  without  stopping  to  camp,  and  so  we 
didn't  even  hunt  for  signs  of  what  the  Greasers  had 
done,  but  hurried  through  the  canebrake  as  fast 


How  It  All  Happened  147 

as  we  could  in  the  darkness,  and  rode  right  on  to 
Mullen's  Ford  on  the  Colorado,  where  we  went 
into  camp  to  wait  for  you  boys  and  the  neighbors 
to  catch  up.  And  all  the  time  them  concerned 
Greasers  was  a-lying  hid  snug  and  cozy  in  the 
canebrake!  Makes  me  mad  plumb  to  the  bone- 
marrow  every  time  I  think  of  how  we  let  that 
passel  of  lazy,  cowardly  Mexicans  fool  us !  Reckon 
our  head-works  must  be  needing  oiling,"  and  he 
turned  a  face  picturing  his  self-disgust  to  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly. 

"New  works,  more'n  oiling  is  needed,  I'm  think- 
ing, Davy,"  McNelly  growled.  "It's  like  eating 
poison  to  be  outwitted  that  way  by  a  lot  of  Greas- 


ers." 


"But,  what  happened  after  that?  and  why  didn't 
you  see  your  mistake  sooner?  and  get  on  our  trail 
quicker?"  queried  Trav,  impatient  to  hear  the  rest 
of  the  narration. 

"For  the  same  reason  that  Kitty-Cat's  wooden 
doll  didn't  break  its  head  when  it  fell  off  the  mantel, 
I  reckon,"  Crockett  answered,  scowling  savagely. 
"We  were  wooden-headed,  and  couldn't  get  rid  of 
the  idea  that  the  Greasers  were  ahead  of  us,  and 
making  for  the  Mexican  settlements  on  the  San 
Antonio  River;  and  so,  when  along  about  sunrise 
the  next  morning,  Jonas  Gifford  and  half  a  dozen 
of  his  neighbors  rode  into  camp,  and  reported  that 
they  hadn't  seen  hair  nor  nail  of  you  two  boys,  we 
concluded  that  you  had  either  gone  astray  in  the 


148          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

darkness  or  got  scart  of  the  night  and  gone  into 
camp.  In  either  event  we  couldn't  wait  for  you; 
so,  leaving  you  a  message,  telling  you  in  what  di- 
rection we  had  gone,  we  all  started  hot  on  the  trail 
of  a  number  of  horsemen  that  must  have  crossed 
at  Mullen's  Ford  during  the  night  a  little  while 
before  we  got  there,  and  which  we  felt  certain  had 
been  made  by  the  brutes  who  were  running  off  with 
Mother  Jane  and  Kitty-Cat. 

"For  two  days  we  followed  this  trail,  nearly  kill- 
ing ourselves  and  horses  in  our  efforts  to  overtake 
the  riders ;  and  then  we  come  upon  their  camp  and 
found  that  we  had  been  following  a  number  of  set- 
tlers bound  for  San  Antonio  to  join  the  Texans 
there;  and  during  all  this  time  them  cussed  Mexi- 
cans had  been  getting  farther  away  with  Mother 
Jane  and  Kitty-Cat!  We  went  plumb  nigh  mad 
with  the  thought.  But,  since  there  ain't  no  use  of 
crying  for  wasted  powder  after  you  have  missed 
the  bear,  we  got  our  thinkers  together  mighty  sud- 
den. 

"Some  were  for  keeping  right  on  to  San  Antonio, 
and  some  were  for  back-trailing  and  making  a  new 
start,  and  some  were  for  roaming  promiscus  like 
round  the  country,  hoping  to  hit  the  right  trail,  and 
all  were  getting  mighty  down-spirited  and  desper- 
ate, when,  hope  I  may  be  shot !  if  Bing  didn't  come 
bouncing  into  our  midst,  like  a  yeller  ball  with  a 
wagging  tail,  and,  Til  be  blessed !  if  he  didn't  have 


How  It  All  Happened  149 

in  his  mouth  a  little  worn  pocket-knife,  that  Sam 
pounced  upon  at  once  as  if  it  had  been  a  million- 
dollar  diamond. 

"  'Kitty's  knife!  Kitty's  knife!'  he  yelled,  hold- 
ing the  knife  high  above  his  head  so  that  all  could 
see.  'Bing  has  brought  me  Kitty's  knife.  I  gave 
it  to  her  a  year  ago  last  Christmas,  and  would 
know  it  anywhere.  Bing/  and  he  dropped  on  his 
knees  by  the  dog's  side  and  flung  his  arms  around 
his  neck,  'Bing,  where  is  Kitty?  Bing,  old  boy, 
where  is  Kitty  and  her  mother  ?' 

"Bing  wagged  his  tail  and  whined,  and  then  he 
pulled  away  from  Sam,  and  ran  a  little  ways  back 
along  the  trail,  and  stopped  and  turned  and  ran 
back  to  Sam,  and  began  wagging  his  tail  and  whin- 
ing again. 

"  'Come  on,  boys !'  shouted  Sam,  excitedly,  jump- 
ing into  his  saddle.  'Bing's  trying  to  tell  us  to 
follow  him,  and  he'll  take  us  to  Kitty  and  her 
mother.  Come  on !' 

"But  the  rest  of  us  showed  him  how  worn  and 
thin  and  foot-sore  Bing  was,  as  if  he  had  journeyed 
far  and  hard,  and  how  the  knife  looked  as  if  the 
dog  had  carried  it  in  his  mouth  for  many  hours, 
from  which  we  argued  that  the  Greasers  must  be 
now  a  long  ways  from  the  spot  where  Bing  found 
the  knife,  and  that  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  di- 
vide our  force,  and  some  of  us  to  go  on  to  San 
Antonio  to  be  on  the  watch  for  the  Mexicans  there, 


150  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  the  others  to  go  back  along  the  trail  and  see 
if  the  dog  could  put  them  on  the  track  of  the  ver- 
mints. 

"Sam  at  once  saw  that  this  was  horse-sense ;  and 
it  was  agreed  that  the  six  men  who  came  with 
Jonas  should  hurry  on  to  San  Antonio  and  make 
a  hunt  for  Kitty-Cat  and  her  mother  among  the 
Mexicans  there,  and  that  Sam  and  Jonas  and  I 
should  take  the  back  trail,  and  see  if  Bing  could 
find  the  trail  of  the  Greasers  for  us.  Besides  we 
were  considerable  worried  over  what  had  become 
of  you  boys,  and  hoped  to  meet  you  following  along 
our  trail.  Of  course  we  didn't  know  nothing  about 
your  being  captured  by  the  Mexicans  then.  Well, 
to  make  a  long  journey  short,  it  was  two  days  be- 
fore Bing  seemed  to  be  able  to  hit  the  right  trail, 
and  then,  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  just 
after  we  had  crossed  the  ford  of  a  small  river,  he 
suddenly  let  out  a  glad  bark,  like  he  had  found 
something  that  made  him  feel  mighty  good,  and 
started  off  on  the  jump  to  the  westward.  We 
jumped  our  horses  after  him  mighty  quick,  for  we 
knowed  that  he  had  at  last  struck  the  trail.  About 
a  couple  of  hours  later  we  came  to  where  someone 
had  camped,  hid  away  in  a  little  patch  of  woods. 
The  ashes  of  the  camp-fire  was  cold,  but  didn't  look 
more  than  a  day  or  two  old;  and  right  Hong  side 
of  where  the  fire  had  been  we  found  a  white  piece 
of  wood  on  which  was  written  with  a  bit  of  char- 
coal, 'A  woman  and  girl  and  two  boys,  captured  by 


How  It  All  Happened  151 

Mexicans,  beg  any  Texan  or  American  who  finds 
this  to  hurry  to  their  rescue/  and  was  signed,  'Jane 
McNelly.'  " 

"And  you  found  that  bit  of  wood !"  Mrs.  McNelly 
broke  in,  her  eyes  sparkling. with  satisfaction.  "I 
wrote  it  on  the  sly  and  hid  it  under  my  dress,  until 
just  as  we  were  starting  away  from  camp  I  dropped 
it  near  the  camp-fire." 

"Bully  for  you,  Mother  Jane!"  Crockett  contin- 
ued. "'Twas  a  mighty  cute  thing  to  do ;  and  made 
us  feel  a  sight  better,  for  now  we  knowed  for  cer- 
tain that  we  were  on  the  right  trail,  and  what  had 
happened  to  Trav  and  Tom,  though  we  couldn't 
just  figure  out  how  they  had  got  into  the  clutches 
of  the  Mexicans,  but  we'd  been  powerful  worried 
'bout  them,  and  any  news  was  better  than  no  news. 
Maybe  we  didn't  make  the  dust  fly  trying  to  over- 
haul you  that  day,  but  we  didn't  get  a  sight  of  you ; 
and  when  it  got  too  dark  to  follow  the  trail  we  slid 
off  into  a  little  wooded  valley  surrounded  by  hills, 
and  camped  there,  so  as  to  hide  our  fire.  Here  Bill 
Thomas,  who  was  hunting  deer  and  bear,  found 
us;  and,  when  he  heard  our  story,  he  vowed  he 
would  rather  have  a  crack  at  one  of  them  cowardly 
Greasers  than  at  all  the  deer  and  bear  in  Texas, 
didn't  you,  Bill?"  and  Crockett  glanced  to  where 
the  hunter  lay  on  his  blanket  near  the  fire. 

"Right,  plumb  right,"  Bill  answered,  "and  I  got 
the  crack,  too,"  and  he  glanced  at  the  two  wounded 
Mexicans  who  lay  on  a  pile  of  blankets  near  him. 


152  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"That  you  did,"  agreed  Crockett.  "We  all  got 
our  crack  at  the  skunks,  as  them  three  we've  just 
put  under  the  ground,"  and  he  nodded  toward  a 
little  mound  covered  with  large  stones,  where  they 
had  buried  the  three  dead  Mexicans,  "and  them  two 
a-top  might  testify. 

"But,  now  to  tell  you  how  we  happened  to  light 
down  on  them  Greasers,  like  a  thousand  tons  of 
yowling  bobcats,  at  just  the  right  identical  moment 
to  save  that  young  rascal/'  and  he  winked  at  Trav, 
"a  rip-roarous  licking.  You  see,  after  Bill  joined 
us,  we  sat  round  the  camp-fire  for  a  spell  talking, 
then  we  rolled  up  in  our  blankets  and  began  snor- 
ing, like  a  herd  of  hippopotamuses,  at  least  Sam 
did;  and  it  seemed  like  as  if  I  hadn't  been  asleep 
more'n  a  couple  of  minutes,  when  I  woke  up  sud- 
den, sitting  right  up  on  my  blanket  and  listening 
with  both  ears  wide  open. 

"'Bang!  Yell!  Bang!  Bang!  Yell!- Yell!  Bang!- 
Whang  !-Bang  !-Yell !'  like  a  young  war  came  the 
sounds  of  a  mighty  lively  scrimmage  from  out  the 
darkness  somewhere  'bout  half  a  mile  away. 

"In  two  jerks  of  one  lamb's  tail  the  four  of  us 
were  out  of  our  blankets  and,  rifles  in  hands,  streak- 
ing it  like  all  wrath  toward  the  sound  of  the  firing, 
all  except  Sam,  who  stopped  long  enough  to  tie 
Bing  to  a  tree  and  then  came  legging  it  after  us, 
like  a  young  steamboat  with  the  throttle  thrown 
wide  open.  Somehow  the  thought  had  struck  all 


How  It  All  Happened  153 

of  us  to-once  that  you  were  in  that  rumpus,  and  we 
were  mighty  anxious  to  get  into  it,  too. 

"We  soon  found  that  the  firing  and  yelling  came 
from  a  little  bunch  of  trees,  like  an  island  on  the 
great  plain ;  and,  by  the  time  we  got  to  the  edge  of 
this  woods,  we'd  cooled  down  sufficient  to  begin 
thinking  sense,  and  stopped  under  a  great  cotton- 
wood  to  get  our  breaths,  and  to  take  thought  of 
how  to  find  out  what  had  been  going  on  in  them 
woods  without  butting  our  own  heads  into  a  nest 
of  hornets.  The  firing  and  yelling  had  all  ceased 
now;  but  we  could  hear  a  distant  murmur  of  ex- 
cited voices  coming  from  the  depths  of  the  trees, 
and  quickly  decided  to  creep  up  and  have  a  look  at 
the  owners  of  them  voices,  before  introducing  our- 
selves. So,  careful  as  Injuns,  we  crawled  toward 
the  sound  of  the  voices,  and  in  a  little  while  came 
within  sight  of  a  camp-fire,  blazing  in  the  center 
of  a  little  opening;  and,  standing  near  the  camp- 
fire,  we  saw  a  lot  of  Mexicans,  bunched  all  together 
like  a  herd  of  steers  in  a  storm,  and  jabbering  and 
gesticulating  worse  than  a  cage  full  of  monkeys. 

"Suddenly  Sam  gripped  my  arm.  'My  God, 
Crockett,  look  there!5  he  whispered,  pointing  to- 
ward the  camp-fire.  'Ain't  that  Jane  and  Kitty, 
there  'tother  side  of  the  fire,  by  that  big  tree  ?' 

"At  that  moment  the  woman  and  child  turned, 
so  that  the  firelight  shone  on  their  faces. 

"  'It  is !     It  is  P  and  Sam's  fingers  almost  pinched 


154  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

my  arm  in  two.  'It  is  Jane  and  Kitty,  Davy! 
Now,  God  have  mercy  on  them  Mexican  skunks!' 
and  his  rifle  came  to  his  shoulder.  'We'll  fire  and 
charge !' 

"But,  before  he  could  pull  the  trigger,  I  caught 
hold  of  his  trigger-hand.  'Wait!  wait!'  I  cau- 
tioned. "Twon't  do  to  knock  the  fat  in  the  fire 
now  that  our  hands  are  within  reach  of  the  skillet. 
There  are  a  dozen  of  them  Mexicans,  and  we're 
only  four,  but  we  must  make  them  think  we're  a 
whole  regiment;'  and  then  we  all  crouched  down 
close  to  the  ground,  and  got  our  heads  together, 
and  planned  how  we  four  would  surround  them 
Mexicans,  and  charge  them  from  four  sides  to- 
once,  shooting  and  yelling  like  all  creation  was  be- 
hind us.  The  hooting  of  an  owl  was  to  be  the 
signal  by  which  each  was  to  notify  the  others  that 
he  was  in  his  place  and  ready  for  the  charge. 

"Well,"  and  Crockett  paused  and  glanced  round 
the  circle  of  interested  faces,  "I  reckon  you  know 
the  rest  better  than  I  could  tell  it ;  how  we  scart  the 
wits  out  of  them  Greasers  and  sent  them  flying 
toward  Mexico  like  a  flock  of  squawking  geese. 
Now,  it  is  moved  and  seconded  and  carried  unani- 
mously that  we  get  to  bed  without  another  word 
from  anybody,"  and  Crockett,  in  spite  of  the  laugh- 
in-  protests,  deliberately  rolled  himself  up  in  his 
blanket,  and  stivtched  himself  out  on  the  ground, 
his  toes  to  the  fire;  and  all  the  others  in  a  few  min- 
utes sensibly  followed  his  example. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A    MEXICAN    MOB 

HTHE  next  morning,  after  counseling  together, 
1  our  friends  determined  to  go  on  direct  to  San 
Antonio,  which  was  only  about  a  day's  journey  from 
where  they  now  were,  according  to  Bill  Thomas; 
and  to  remain  there  long  enough  for  Mrs.  McNelly 
and  Kitty  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  hard- 
ships endured  while  prisoners  of  the  Mexicans,  be- 
fore starting  for  their  distant  home.  At  this  time 
the  old  Mexican  town  of  San  Antonio  de  Bexar, 
or  Bexar,  as  it  was  then  more  frequently  called, 
was  held  by  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  brave 
Texans  under  the  command  of  Colonel  William 
Barret  Travis;  and  here,  under  their  protection, 
Sam  McNelly  thought  that  his  wife  and  child  could 
rest  in  safety,  until  they  were  ready  to  begin  the 
long  journey  of  over  two  hundred  miles  back  to  the 
little  log  cabin.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  they  had 
eaten  their  breakfast,  they  started  for  San  Antonio, 
carrying  with  them  the  two  wounded  Mexicans  in 
litters  made  by  fastening  blankets  to  two  poles, 
which  were  borne  by  horses,  one  in  front  and  one 
behind,  walking  between  the  two  poles. 

The  two  Mexicans  appeared  to  be  very  grateful 

155 


156          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

for  the  care  Mrs.  McNelly  so  freely  gave  them,  and 
for  the  rude  kindness  of  the  men ;  and,  indeed,  they 
had  good  cause  to  be,  for,  had  their  wounds  been 
neglected  they  would  have  died,  and  had  the  men 
refused  to  be  delayed  by  the  trouble  of  bringing 
them  along,  and  had  left  them  to  the  tender  mer- 
cies of  the  wolves-  and  the  vultures  of  the  plains, 
their  fate  would  have  been  too  terrible  to  name. 
This  the  wounded  men  seemed  to  realize,  as  well  as 
the  fact  that  their  evil  deeds  were  being  returned 
with  good,  something  hitherto  unknown  to  their 
code  of  morals,  and  there  was  a  look  almost  of 
adoration  in  their  eyes  when  they  rested  on  the 
motherly  face  of  Mrs.  McNelly,  as  if  they  had  al- 
ready placed  a  halo  around  her  head. 

That  night,  after  a  long,  wearisome  ride  over 
dust-covered  plains,  where  little  grew  beside  short 
wiry  grass  and  scrubby  post-oak  and  thorny  nopals, 
our  little  cavalcade,  with  a  great  gladdening  of 
hearts,  rode  into  the  quaint  little  Old-World  town 
of  San  Antonio,  just  as  the  setting  sun  cast  a  glory 
of  red  and  gold  over  the  queer  flat-roofed  adobe 
buildings.  They  hurried  direct  to  the  Plaza  de 
Armas,  where  Travis  and  his  Texan  soldiers  oc- 
cupied the  presidio,  or  citadel,  from  which  the  Mexi- 
cans had  been  driven  so  heroically  but  a  short  three 
months  before;  for  Sam  McNelly  and  his  compan- 
ions were  exceedingly  anxious  to  see  Colonel  Travis 
at  once.  They  wished  to  tell  him  of  the  six  Mexi- 
can soldiers,  direct  from  Santa  Anna's  army,  that 


A  Mexican  Mob  157 

had  joined  Vasquez,  and  of  their  report  that  the 
Mexican  army  was  even  then  on  the  march  for 
Texas;  and  they  were  anxious  to  learn  from  him 
the  latest  news.  It  will  be  remembered  that,  for 
something  over  a  week,  our  friends  had  been  wan- 
dering in  the  wilderness,  away  from  all  news  cen- 
ters, and,  consequently,  knew  nothing  of  what  had 
been  happening  in  Texas  during  that  time,  and 
Texas  was  big  with  possibilities  those  days;  and, 
naturally,  now  that  they  had  the  chance,  they 
wished  to  hear  all  the  latest  news  possible  as  quickly 
as  possible. 

Trav  and  Tom  and  Kitty  were  greatly  interested 
in  the  queer,  odd-looking  adobe  buildings,  so  differ- 
ent from  the  log  cabins  and  the  gable-roofed  houses 
they  were  accustomed  to  seeing,  that  lined  the  sides 
of  the  streets  through  which  they  rode  on  their 
way  to  the  quarters  of  Colonel  Travis.  Then,  too, 
this  was  the  town  that  old  Ben  Milam  and  his 
heroic  three  hundred  Texans  had  stormed,  only 
three  months  before,  and  conquered,  although  four- 
teen hundred  Mexican  soldiers  behind  stone  walls 
defended  by  cannon  attempted  to  keep  them  outside 
— three  hundred  against  fourteen  hundred  defended 
by  stone  walls  and  cannon,  and  yet  victorious ! 

Kitty  and  the  two  boys  had  often  heard  the  story 
— what  Texan  had  not  ? — and  their  good  red  blood 
had  jumped  and  their  spirits  had  thrilled  at  the 
hearing,  as  the  blood  and  the  spirits  of  the  brave 
will  ever  at  the  telling  of  heroic  deeds  done  by  heroic 


158  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

men;  and  now  that  they  were  riding  through  the 
streets  of  the  very  town  where  the  good  fight  had 
been  fought  and  won,  and  where  the  scars  of  the 
battle  still  might  be  seen  in  the  bullet-marked  walls 
and  doors  and  windows  of  nearly  every  house  along 
the  street,  their  interest  in  all  that  was  to  be  seen 
was  magnified  a  hundredfold. 

"There,"  and  Bill  Thomas,  who  had  been  one  of 
the  heroes  of  this  fight,  pointed  to  the  entrance  of  a 
house  whose  heavy  cedar  doors  were  splintered  and 
scarred  by  axe  and  bullet,  "right  in  there  is  where 
old  Ben  Milam  was  shot,  just  after  we'd  broke  in 
the  doors  and  was  a-rushing  into  the  house.  I  was 
not  more'n  six  feet  behind  him  when  the  bullet 
struck,  and  I  saw  him  crumple  up,  as  if  all  the  stiff- 
ening had  suddenly  gone  out  of  his  body,  and  tum- 
ble to  the  floor,  and  afore  we  could  lift  him  up  he 
was  dead,  stone  dead.  But,  I  reckon/'  and  the 
hunter's  eyes  glinted  and  his  face  hardened,  "old 
Ben  Milam's  spirit  led  us  after  that;  for  nothing, 
not  even  stone  walls  covered  with  Mexicans  and 
roaring  with  cannons,  could  stop  us;  and  we  drove 
the  Greasers  from  house  to  house,  from  stone  wall 
to  stone  wall,  shooting,  stabbing,  and  clubbing  our 
guns  on  their  heads,  until  we'd  shot  and  stabbed  and 
knocked  all  the  fight  out  of  them,  and  then  they 
fled  to  the  Alamo  under  cover  of  the  night,  and  next 
morning  hung  out  the  white  flag  of  surrender." 

"And  there  were  only  three  hundred  of  you," 
broke  in  Trav,  his  eyes  shining,  "against  fourteen 


A  Mexican  Mob  159 

hundred  armed  Mexicans  defended  by  stone  walls 
and  cannons !" 

"Cartain ;  but  every  one  of  us  was  worth  at  least 
a  dozen  Greasers,"  responded  the  hunter  grimly, 
"so  'twon't  so  uneven  as  it  might  seem  at  first 
sight." 

"How  many  were  killed?"  asked  Tom,  the  awe 
in  his  voice  showing  how  deeply  the  words  of  the 
hunter  had  moved  him. 

"Must  have  been  'bout  three  hundred  Greasers 
all  told,"  answered  Bill.  "  'Twas  easy  killing,  with 
the  thought  of  old  Ben  Milam  lying  back  there 
dead." 

"And  how  many  Texans?"  persisted  Tom,  his 
face  glowing. 

"Two  killed  outright,  and  'bout  twenty-five  or 
thirty  wounded." 

"Bully  for  Texas!"  burst  out  Davy  Crockett,  his 
dark  eyes  sparkling.  "If  it  takes  three  hundred 
Greasers  to  get  two  Texans,  how  many  Greasers 
will  it  take  to  get  all  Texas?  That's  what  I  want 
to  know ;  and,  I  reckon,  if  Santa  Anna  tries  to  figure 
it  out,  he'll  get  the  answer  writ  out  big  in  the  blood 
of  Mexico.  Wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  it  don't  make 
my  blood  jump  worse  than  the  sight  of  the  biggest 
bear  that  ever  mauled  a  dog,  just  to  hear  tell  of  such 
a  scrimmage." 

At  this  moment  a  tall  Mexican,  his  face  nearly 
concealed  by  his  blanket  and  broad-brimmed  Mexi- 
can hat,  hurried  from  a  doorway  and  started  to 


160          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

cross  the  street  directly  in  front  of  our  little  party. 
When  near  the  middle  of  the  street  he  stumbled 
and  fell  almost  under  the  nose  of  Sam  McNelly's 
horse. 

"Thundering  Jove!"  and  Sam  McNelly  jerked 
back  his  horse.  "Can't  you  see  where  you're  go- 
ing?— Look  out!"  he  yelled,  as  in  his  struggle  to 
get  on  his  feet  the  man  reeled  nearer  to  him. 
"Or—" 

There  was  a  flash  of  steel  through  the  air,  and, 
with  a  vicious  thud,  a  long  keen-bladed  knife  struck 
the  breast  of  the  settler,  point  first;  and  the  Mexi- 
can, with  the  swiftness  of  a  startled  deer,  leaped 
from  the  horse's  side  and  vanished  in  the  dark  door- 
way of  one  of  the  houses. 

Big  Sam  McNelly,  at  the  flash  of  the  knife,  at- 
tempted to  jerk  a  pistol  from  its  holster;  but,  with 
the  weapon  half  drawn,  he  fell  forward  on  the  neck 
of  his  horse  and  would  have  dropped  from  his  sad- 
dle had  not  the  arm  of  Jonas  Gifford,  who  rode  by 
his  side,  caught  him. 

Davy  Crockett,  the  instant  he  saw  what  had  hap- 
pened, caught  Betsey  up  from  the  saddle  in  front  of 
him;  but,  before  he  could  get  the  gun  to  his  shoul- 
der and  pull  the  trigger,  the  fleeing  Mexican  had 
darted  into  the  doorway  and  vanished. 

Bill  Thomas  jerked  his  pistol  out  of  its  holster, 
and  sent  a  ball  after  the  Mexican ;  but,  in  the  dark- 
ness and  hurry,  missed,  and,  with  an  oath,  dug  his 
spurs  into  his  horse  and  plunged,  with  Davy 


A  Mexican  Mob  161 

Crockett  close  by  his  side,  toward  the  doorway, 
through  which  the  Mexican  had  disappeared. 

Trav,  when  he  saw  the  bright  blade  of  the  knife 
leap  from  the  Mexican's  hand  and  bury  itself  in 
his  father's  breast,  dropped  the  rein  of  the  litter- 
horse  that  he  was  leading,  and,  with  a  cry  of  horror, 
sprang  to  his  father's  side. 

Kitty  and  her  mother  screamed  at  the  sight  of 
the  knife,  then  flung  themselves  off  their  horses, 
and  rushed  to  where  Jonas  and  Trav  were  lifting 
Sam  McNelly  from  his  saddle. 

Tom,  who  was  leading  the  other  litter-horse  and 
rode  where  he  could  not  see  the  Mexican  throw  the 
knife,  did  not  know  what  had  happened  until  he 
saw  Sam  McNelly  falling  from  his  horse,  the  Mexi- 
can leaping  for  the  safety  of  the  doorway,  and  Davy 
Crockett  and  Bill  Thomas,  smoking  pistol  in  hand, 
plunging  after  him.  Then  he  realized  that  an  at- 
tempt had  been  made  to  assassinate  Big  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly;  and,  gripping  his  rifle,  he  joined  in  the  chase 
after  the  assassin. 

By  this  time  the  street  was  in  a  wild  turmoil. 
Excited  Mexicans,  men,  women  and  children, 
poured  from  the  doorways  and  thrust  their  heads 
out  of  the  near-by  windows.  Agitated  voices 
shrilled  through  the  air.  Startled  dogs  barked 
furiously.  In  an  instant  the  quiet  peacefulness  of 
the  street  had  been  transformed  into  a  riotous  up- 
roar of  threatening,  clamorous  human  beings. 

Davy  Crockett  and  Bill  Thomas  and  Tom  leaped 


162  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

from  their  horses  and  attempted  to  burst  in  the 
closed  door  through  which  the  assassin  had  fled. 
Black  eyes  flashed  menacingly  out  of  swarthy  faces 
and  a  mob  of  furious  men  surged  ominously  toward 
them,  as  they  pounded  at  the  heavy  door,  while 
loud  cries  of,  "Down  with  the  American  pigs !  Kill 
the  American  pigs,  who  trample  out  the  lives  of 
free-born  Mexicans  with  their  horses'  hoofs," 
were  shouted  from  street  and  windows.  A  stone 
whizzed  by  Davy  Crockett's  head  and  struck  the 
door  in  front  of  his  face,  another  crashed  against 
the  butt  of  Bill  Thomas's  rifle;  but  neither  man 
nor  boy  gave  the  missiles  nor  the  threatening  mob 
the  slightest  attention.  Again  and  again  they 
hurled  their  shoulders  against  the  strong  frame, 
again  and  again  they  struck  it  with  the  heavy  butts 
of  their  guns;  but  the  door  had  been  too  strongly 
made  to  be  broken  in  by  anything  less  effective  than 
an  axe.  The  mob  surged  closer  and  grew  bolder. 
The  stones  came  thicker,  and  the  cries  became 
louder  and  more  threatening.  Still  the  three 
pounded  and  thrust  at  the  door,  utterly  regardless 
of  the  flying  stones  and  the  enraged  Mexicans, 
anxious  only  to  get  after  the  cowardly  assassin  be- 
fore he  escaped  from  the  house  in  which  he  had 
taken  refuge. 

Suddenly  a  girl's  scream  of  terror,  followed  by  a 
woman's  cry,  reached  their  ears. 

Crockett,  with  a  yell  of  rage,  whirled  around. 

A  wild  mob  was  surging  tumultuously  about  the 


A  Mexican  Mob  163 

little  group  bending  over  Sam  McNelly.  Kitty  was 
struggling  in  the  arms  of  a  Mexican,  who  was 
swiftly  making  his  way  through  the  crowd  toward 
a  friendly  doorway.  Already  a  dozen  Mexicans 
had  thrust  themselves  between  him  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly and  Trav,  who  were  fighting  desperately  to 
reach  and  rescue  her.  A  half  a  dozen  more  steps 
and  he  would  reach  the  doorway  and  the  safety 
within. 

"Drop  that  girl !"  roared  Crockett,  his  rifle  leap- 
ing to  his  shoulder.  From  the  doorway  where  he 
stood,  he  could  overlook  the  crowd  and  see  the 
Mexican  distinctly.  "Drop  her,  or — "  His  teeth 
snapped  together  like  the  jaws  of  a  steel  trap. 
"No,  you  don't,  you  skunk!"  and  the  long  barrel 
flamed,  just  as  the  Mexican's  foot  touched  the  first 
door-stone. 

With  a  yell,  the  Mexican  dropped  Kitty  and  tum- 
bled face  downward;  and  the  door  opened  and  an- 
other Mexican  rushed  out  and  seized  Kitty. 

Crockett  grabbed  Tom's  rifle  out  of  his  hands 
and  fired,  just  as  the  second  Mexican  was  about  to 
plunge  back  through  the  doorway  with  Kitty  in 
his  arms ;  and  he  fell  across  the  threshold,  his  hands 
clutching  tightly  Kitty's  dress  as  he  fell. 

"Now,  give  them  the  butts!"  Crockett  shouted, 
swinging  his  rifle  above  his  head  and  leaping 
straight  toward  the  mob  of  Mexicans  between  him 
and  Kitty,  who  was  struggling  desperately  to  free 
herself  from  the  clutches  of  the  dying  Mexican. 


164          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Bill  Thomas  followed  Crockett,  and  Tom,  seiz- 
ing his  rifle  which  Crockett  had  dropped  the  in- 
stant he  had  fired,  sprang  after  Bill  Thomas. 

Whack!  — Thack!  — Crack!  — Whack!  —  and 
the  heavy  butts  of  the  guns  struck  the  heads  of  four 
of  the  Mexicans,  who  went  down,  like  ninepins 
hit  by  the  ball,  before  this  onslaught  of  Anglo- 
American  manhood,  two  of  them  knocked  down  by 
the  butt  of  Crockett's  rifle,  and  one  each  to  the 
credit  of  Bill  and  Tom. 

With  shrill  yells  of  terror  the  remaining  Mexi- 
cans in  front  of  the  long-armed,  terrible  Tennes- 
seean  tumbled  over  themselves  and  one  another  in 
their  eagerness  to  get  out  of  the  reach  of  the  fearful 
sweep  of  the  deadly  gun-butt,  backed  by  the  hardly 
less  terrible  butts  of  the  guns  of  Bill  Thomas  and 
Tom,  and  opened  up  a  wide  lane,  as  wide  as  the 
sweep  of  their  guns,  before  them;  and  then,  yell- 
ing and  cursing  and  threatening,  closed  in  behind. 
For  a  moment  it  seemed  as  if  all  our  friends,  in 
spite  of  the  heroic  fight  they  were  making,  must 
be  overwhelmed  and  beat  down  by  this  frenzied 
mob  of  enraged  Mexicans;  and,  doubtless  they 
would  have  been  had  not  aid  appeared  at  this  criti- 
cal juncture. 

First,  the  Mexicans  in  the  direction  of  the 
presidio  uttered  shrill  yells  of  warning  and  fear, 
and  fled,  like  rats  to  their  holes;  and  then,  as  the 
sound  of  the  marching  of  hurrying  feet  and  quick- 
spoken  words  of  command  reached  their  ears,  all 


A  Mexican  Mob  165 

scattered,  scurrying  frantically  through  doorways 
and  windows  and  down  narrow  alleys  and  side 
streets.  As  quickly  as  it  had  gathered,  the  mob 
had  dispersed. 

Tom,  as  he  ran  by  the  side  of  Davy  Crockett 
toward  the  doorway  where  they  had  last  seen  Kitty 
struggling  in  the  grip  of  the  dying  Mexican, 
glanced  quickly  up  the  street  to  discover  the  cause 
of  this  sudden  scattering  of  their  enemies ;  and  saw, 
coming  on  a  swift  run  toward  them,  a  small  body 
of  bronzed  men,  their  long-barreled  rifles  held 
ready  for  instant  use  and  their  keen  eyes  flashing 
from  side  to  side  as  they  ran.  There  were  not  more 
than  twenty-five  men  in  this  small  company;  and 
yet  hundreds  of  Mexicans  had  fled  at  the  mere 
sound  of  its  coming !  In  a  moment  more  Tom  had 
reached  the  doorway;  and  the  rescuers  were  for- 
gotten in  the  shock  of  what  he  there  saw. 

On  the  door-stone  lay  one  Mexican  dead,  and 
across  the  threshold  lay  the  other,  a  piece  of  Kitty's 
dress  still  held  in  his  stiffening  fingers;  but  Kitty 
had  vanished! 

"Kitty!  Kitty!"  shouted  Tom  wildly,  his  limbs 
trembling  so  that  he  could  hardly  stand. 

"Kitty-Cat!  Kitty-Cat!"  cried  Crockett,  glanc- 
ing anxiously  round,  his  weather-beaten  face 
whitening.  "Kitty-Cat,  where  are  you?  It  is 
Davy  calling." 

But  there  came  back  no  reply  from  the  silent 
house  before  them.  All  their  efforts  to  save  the 


1 66  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

dear  girl  had  been  in  vain.  She  had  been  torn 
from  the  grip  of  the  dying  man,  and  borne  away. 
The  piece  of  her  dress  in  the  dead  fingers  told 
this. 

"Into  the  house!  We  may  be  in  time  to  save 
her  yet !"  and  Crockett  sprang  against  the  door. 

The  door  flew  open  with  a  bang.  It  had  not  been 
fastened.  A  long  hall,  with  doors  along  each  side, 
and  opening  into  an  interior  courtyard,  was  before 
them. 

"Kitty-Cat!  Kitty-Cat!"  again  shouted  Crockett 
in  an  agony  of  apprehension,  and  again  the  silent 
house  and  yards  gave  back  no  answer. 

"  Tain't  no  use  stopping  for  the  doors.  Get  to 
the  court/'  cried  Bill  Thomas,  springing  down  the 
long  hall  followed  by  Crockett  and  Tom. 

Near  the  center  of  the  court  a  fountain  gushed 
from  a  bouquet  of  marble  flowers.  A  little  grove  of 
trees  grew  on  one  side,  with  flower  beds  between 
them  and  the  fountain.  Birds  twittered  in  the  trees 
and  bright-colored  butterflies  fluttered  among  the 
blossoms.  But  not  a  human  being  was  in  sight. 

Crockett  leaped  toward  the  grove — and  stopped 
as  suddenly  as  if  every  muscle  and  bone  had  been 
instantly  turned  to  iron,  and  stood  staring  at  the 
ground  between  two  flower  beds. 

On  the  path  between  the  two  beds,  hidden  from 
him  until  that  moment,  lay  a  man  on  his  back,  with 
a  great  shaggy  grayish-yellow  dog  crouched  on  his 
breast,  his  muzzle  buried  in  the  man's  throat. 


A  Mexican  Mob  167 

"Bing !  It's  Bing !"  yelled  Tom,  who  at  that  mo- 
ment had  reached  Crockett's  side. 

At  the  sound  of  the  boy's  voice  the  dog  un- 
loosened his  hold  on  the  man's  throat,  and,  run- 
ning to  Tom,  caught  hold  of  his  coat  with  his  teeth 
and  began  pulling  him  toward  the  flower  bed,  whin- 
ing and  wagging  his  tail  and  looking  up  with  per- 
suasive eyes  into  his  face. 

"What  is  it,  Bing?  What  is  it,  old  boy?"  and 
Tom,  trembling  with  excitement,  allowed  the  dog  to 
lead  him. 

At  the  edge  of  the  flower  bed  Bing  dropped 
Tom's  coat,  and,  with  a  glad  bark,  leaped  into  the 
midst  of  the  rich  blooms,  and  thrust  his  nose  against 
something  that  lay  white  and  still,  half  hidden  by 
the  flowers. 

For  an  instant  Tom  stared,  and  then,  with  a  yell 
that  made  Davy  and  Bill  jump,  he  leaped  into  the 
flower  bed. 

"Kitty-Cat!  It's  Kitty-Cat!"  and  Crockett 
leaped  after  him;  and  the  next  moment  Kitty  was 
in  his  arms,  and  he  was  hastily  examining  the  in- 
sensible girl. 

"Sound  as  a  dollar!  She's  only  fainted!"  he 
cried  jubilantly,  as  he  bent  and  kissed  the  sweet 
white  face.  "Now  we  must  get  her  to  her  mother 
mighty  quick,"  and  he  started  back  for  the  street, 
carrying  Kitty  as  gently  as  a  woman  in  his  strong 
arms. 

"Here,   take   a  look  at  the   ugly   face  of  this 


1 68  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Greaser,  and  see  if  you  ever  seed  him  afore,"  and 
Bill  Thomas  caught  Tom  by  the  arm,  as  he  started 
to  follow  Crockett,  and  pointed  to  the  Mexican 
lying  on  the  path  between  the  two  flower  beds. 
"Might  be  that  skunk,  Vasquez." 

Tom  turned  and  glanced  at  the  Mexican,  who 
lay,  with  the  horror  of  death  in  his  eyes,  staring 
straight  upward. 

"No,"  he  said,  shuddering  at  the  terrible  sight 
of  the  man's  face  and  blood-stained  throat,  "it  is 
not  Vasquez  himself,  but  it  is  one  of  the  men  who 
were  with  him,  the  one  who  struck  Mrs.  McNelly 
over  the  mouth.  Is — is  he  dead  ?" 

"Dead  as  a  skinned  coon.  Now,  let's  get  out  of 
here,"  and  the  old  hunter's  eyes  glanced  suspiciously 
around  the  pleasant  little  court,  with  its  mar- 
ble fountain,  singing  birds,  blooming  flowers — and 
dead  Mexican. 

Kitty  was  sobbing  in  her  mother's  arms,  when 
Tom  and  Bill  Thomas  reached  the  street.  Trav 
and  Jonas  were  bending  anxiously  over  a  stranger, 
who,  with  skilled  hands  and  experienced  eyes  that 
told  his  profession,  was  examining  Sam  McNelly's 
wound.  By  their  sides  stood  a  tall,  keen-eyed 
man,  whose  sword  and  dress  indicated  that  he  was 
an  officer ;  and  around  them,  leaning  on  their  long- 
barreled  rifles,  were  grouped  the  bronzed  men, 
whose  appearance  had  caused  the  sudden  scatter- 
ing of  the  Mexican  mob. 

The  surgeon  lifted  his  eyes  to  the  officer. 


A  Mexican  Mob  169 

"The  wound  is  not  dangerous,"  he  said,  "but  it 
will  be  best  to  get  him  to  the  barracks  as  quickly 
as  possible." 

The  officer  turned  to  his  men  and  commanded 
them  to  place  the  wounded  man  in  one  of  the  litters 
— the  two  wounded  Mexicans  had  both  vanished 
with  the  mob — and  bear  him  to  the  barracks.  Then 
he  approached  Mrs.  McNelly. 

"Doc  says  that  your  husband's  hurt  is  not  seri- 
ous," and  he  inclined  his  head  courteously  to  Mrs. 
McNelly.  "I  have  ordered  my  men  to  carry  him 
to  the  presidio,  where  we  have  our  barracks,  and 
where  he  will  receive  every  care  at  our  disposal. 
Now  permit  me  to  conduct  you  and  your  daughter 
to  my  wife,  who  will  give  you  a  most  hearty  wel- 
come, and  gladly  render  you  all  the  assistance  that 
one  good  woman  can  give  another  in  the  hour  of 
trouble.  I  am  Lieutenant  Almeron  Dickinson 
from  Gonzales,  now  serving  in  the  garrison  at  San 
Antonio  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Travis," 
and  again  he  bowed. 

The  soldiers  lifted  Sam  McNelly  into  the  litter, 
Lieutenant  Dickinson  assisted  Mrs.  McNelly  and 
Kitty  to  mount  their  horses,  and  then  all  hurried  to 
the  presidio,  where  Colonel  Travis  and  his  men  were 
anxiously  awaiting  the  return  of  Lieutenant  Dickin- 
son. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   GLORIOUS  AMERICAN   TRIUMVIRATE 

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  WILLIAM  BAR- 
RETT TRAVIS,  commandant  of  the  Texan 
garrison  at  San  Antonio  de  Bexar — one  of  the  most 
heroic  characters  in  our  country's  history — was  a 
tall,  manly-looking,  red-headed  young  man,  then 
but  twenty-eight  years  old.  He  welcomed  our 
friends  with  the  courtly  solicitude  of  a  Southern 
gentleman ;  and,  in  a  very  short  time,  all  had  been 
made  as  comfortable  as  possible,  Sam  McNelly, 
accompanied  by  Kitty  and  her  mother,  being  taken 
direct  to  the  quarters  of  Lieutenant  Dickinson,  who 
insisted  that  Mrs.  Dickinson  should  be  given  the 
privilege  of  nursing  the  wounded  man  and  of  car- 
ing for  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty.  The  others  re- 
mained with  Colonel  Travis  and  his  officers  to  tell 
them  the  story  of  their  adventures. 

Trav  and  Tom  had  heard  much  of  this  slim 
young  North  Carolina  lawyer,  William  Barrett 
Travis,  who  had  left  wife  and  baby  boy  to  help 
Texas  in  her  struggle  for  liberty  and  independence. 
They  knew  the  part  he  had  played  in  driving  out 
the  first  Mexican  garrisons;  and  the  tales  of  his 
splendid  courage  and  deeds  of  daring  had  often  sent 

170 


A  Glorious  American  Triumvirate       171 

their  young  blood  jumping,  and  made  them  long  to 
do  the  same  kind  of  heroic  deeds  for  their  homes 
and  country.  Hence,  there  was  just  a  little  hero- 
worship  in  the  eyes  the  boys  turned  to  his  pleasant 
face,  when,  after  seeing  that  every  thing  possible 
had  been  done  for  the  comfort  and  care  of  the 
wounded  man,  he  returned  to  the  little  group  of 
officers  and  men  that  had  quickly  gathered  round 
Davy  Crockett  and  his  fellow  travelers. 

As  Colonel  Travis  approached  the  spot  where  our 
friends  stood,  he  was  joined  by  a  remarkably  tall 
man,  with  something  of  the  sinuous  litheness  of 
the  panther  in  every  movement  of  his  lean  athletic 
frame.  He  had  curly-reddish  hair,  and  steel- 
gray  eyes,  the  kind  that  glitter  like  the  points  of  two 
Toledo  rapiers  when  angry. 

"Colonel  James  Bowie,  Colonel  Crockett  of  Ten- 
nessee," and  Colonel  Travis  bowed  to  Davy 
Crockett,  as  he  presented  his  companion. 

"I'm  mighty  glad  to  know  you  in  the  flesh  and 
bone,"  Crockett  said,  as  he  reached  out  a  hand  that 
was  eagerly  seized  by  Bowie,  his  shrewd  dark 
eyes  looking  unflinchingly  into  the  steely  gray 
eyes.  "I've  knowed  you  by  name  and  fame  so  long 
that  I  feel  'most  like  an  old  friend,"  and  he  shook 
the  hand  heartily. 

"Davy  Crockett  of  Tennessee!"  and  the  keen 
gray  eyes  of  Bowie  lighted.  "And  his  famous 
rifle!  Well,  you're  both  powerful  welcome  just 
now.  I  fancy  you  will  find  the  game  we're  hunting 


\ 


172  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

now  in  Texas  even  more  exciting  and  dangerous 
than  your  famous  bears  of  Tennessee,  Colonel,"  and 
the  gray  eyes  of  Bowie  twinkled. 

Davy  Crockett !  and  Jim  Bowie !  and  Will  Travis ! 
Glorious  triumvirate  of  American  heroes. 

No  wonder  that  Trav  and  Tom  stood  and  lis- 
tened in  the  silence  of  awed  boyhood  while  the 
three  heroes  talked,  their  eyes  turning  oftenest  to 
the  face  of  Jim  Bowie,  for,  of  the  three,  his  was  the 
most  terrible  reputation,  won  in  many  desperate 
encounters,  against  fearful  odds,  with  rifle  or  pistol 
or  the  deadly  knife  that  he  had  already  made  fa- 
mous. Involuntarily  the  eyes  of  both  boys  went  to 
his  belt  at  the  thought  of  that  knife.  Yes,  there 
the  fearful  weapon  hung  in  its  leather  scabbard; 
and,  when  they  looked  at  the  long  muscular  arms, 
the  lithe  sinewy  frame,  the  fearless  steely  eyes,  they 
no  longer  wondered  at  the  stories  they  had  heard 
of  the  terrible  prowess  of  this  man  when  armed 
only  with  his  deadly  knife  and  the  frenzy  of  the 
fight  ran  riot  in  his  hot  blood. 

"I  wish  he  would  draw  the  knife  from  its  scab- 
bard/' Tom  whispered  to  Trav.  "I  should  like  to 
see  the  blade  that  he  has  made  so  famous/' 

At  that  moment,  as  if  in  answer  to  Tom's  whis- 
per, Bowie  thrust  one  hand  into  his  pocket,  pulled 
out  a  long  plug  of  tobacco,  and  then,  with  the  other 
hand,  drew  the  terrible  weapon  from  its  sheath. 

"Have  a  chaw?"  he  said,  proffering  the  tobacco 
and  knife  to  Crockett. 


A  Glorious  American  Triumvirate       173 

"Scratching  wildcats,  Bowie/'  laughed  Crockett, 
as  he  took  the  tobacco  and  knife,  "you  don't  use  this 
famous  blade  for  a  tobacco  chopper,  do  you?  I 
reckoned  nothing  short  of  live  human  flesh  was 
good  enough  for  it  to  cut.  Wish  I  may  be  shot 
if  the  bare  sight  of  it  ain't  enough  to  give  a  man 
with  a  squeamish  stomach  the  colic.  And  the  feel 
And  he  ran  a  finger  lightly  over  the  keen 
razor-like  edge  of  the  blade —  "Hu —  I'll  just  use 
my  own  knife  to  cut  off  my  chaw,  Colonel,"  and  he 
handed  the  blade  back  to  Bowie. 

"You  might  tickle  a  fellow's  ribs  a  long  time  with 
this  instrument,  Colonel,  before  you'd  make  him 
laugh,"  smiled  Bowie,  and  the  steel  points  came 
into  the  gray  eyes,  as  he  affectionately  fingered  the 
knife  for  a  minute  before  dropping  it  back  into  its 
sheath. 

As  briefly  as  possible  Davy  Crockett  narrated 
their  experiences  with  the  Mexican,  Vasquez,  and 
his  followers,  and  described  the  sudden  and  unex- 
pected attack  that  had  been  made  on  them  a  short 
time  before  in  the  street. 

"Now,"  he  concluded,  "I'm  plaguy  certain  'twas 
the  hand  of  that  skunk,  Vasquez,  that  throwed  that 
knife,  and  his  friends  that  started  the  row,  hoping 
to  get  away  with  Kitty-Cat  or  Mother  Jane  or  both 
in  the  confusion  before  you  fellows  could  come  to 


our  rescue." 


"You  are  right,"  broke  in  the  surgeon,  who  had 
just  returned  from  attending  the  wounds  of  Sam 


174  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

McNelly.  "Mr.  McNelly  had  a  glimpse  of  the  ras- 
cal's face  just  as  he  threw  the  knife,  and  he  is  cer- 
tain that  it  was  the  identical  scoundrel  that 
abducted  his  wife  and  child.  Besides,  here  is  the 
name  on  the  knife,"  and  he  drew  a  particularly 
\\icked-looking  Mexican  knife  from  his  belt  and 
handed  it  to  Crockett.  "I  wanted  to  examine  the 
knife  to  see  if  the  blade  had  been  poisoned,  a  gentle 
Greaser  trick —  No,"  he  added  hastily,  as  he 
caught  sight  of  the  look  of  alarm  on  Trav's  face. 
"I  found  no  poison  on  the  blade,  and  the  wound  is 
not  at  all  dangerous.  Your  father  will  be  as  fit  as 
a  painter  for  another  scrimmage  inside  of  a  week." 

Cut  deep  in  the  bone  haft  of  the  knife  was  the 
name — Vasquez. 

"It  would  be  vain  to  attempt  to  find  the  scoundrel 
now,"  Colonel  Travis  declared,  his  voice  trembling 
with  indignation,  as  he  read  the  name  on  the  knife. 
"Every  Mexican  in  San  Antonio  would  lie  to  shield 
him  and  every  Mexican  house  and  hut  offers  him  a 
hiding-place.  But,"  and  his  face  hardened,  "if  ever 
you  meet  that  Greaser  again,  shoot  him  at  sight, 
the  same  as  you  would  a  mad  dog.  It  is  the  only 
way  to  deal  with  such  villains  in  this  lawless  coun- 
try." 

They  were  a  very  angry  lot  of  men  who  sur- 
rounded our  friends,  when  Crockett  finished  his 
story;  but,  as  Colonel  Travis  had  said,  there  was 
nothing  they  could  do  now  by  way  of  showing  their 
anger,  except  to  curse  Vasquez  and  fiis  followers,  in 


A  Glorious  American  Triumvirate        175 

particular,  and  all  Mexicans,  in  general,  which  they 
at  once  proceeded  to  do  with  a  most  satisfying  vigor 
and  completeness. 

"Now,"  and  Crockett  turned  to  Colonel  Travis, 
as  soon  as  the  air  had  cleared  sufficiently  for  him 
to  get  a  word  through  it,  "we're  powerful  anxious 
to  know  what  has  been  doing  in  Texas  during  the 
ten  days  weVe  been  hunting  Greaser  abductors; 
and  what  sort  of  a  Reception  Committee,  as  they 
used  to  say  in  Washington,  has  been  delegated  to 
meet  his  High  Monk-a-Monk,  the  President  Gen- 
eral Excelentisimo ,  Santa  Anna  and  his  army,  being 
that  we  are  so  soon  to  have  a  call  from  him,  accord- 
ing to  them  six  Mexican  soldiers  that  joined  Vas- 
quez." 

The  pleasant  face  of  Colonel  Travis  clouded,  at 
the  mention  of  the  coming  of  Santa  Anna  and  his 
army,  Bowie  frowned  and  swore  under  his  breath 
and  fingered  the  haft  of  his  terrible  knife  uneasily, 
and  the  men  scowled  and  muttered  angrily  some- 
thing among  themselves  about  Doc  Grant  taking 
all  the  horses  and  the  cussed  slowness  of  the  Coun- 
cil in  sending  them  supplies  and  reinforcements. 
Evidently  things  had  not  been  running  as  smoothly 
as  they  should,  at  least  not  in  that  part  of  Texas. 

"Texas,"  Colonel  Travis  said  sadly,  "has  forgot- 
ten us,  or,  at  least,  has  neglected  us,  until  now  I  fear 
it  will  be  too  late,  if,  as  you  say,  Santa  Anna  and 
his  army  are  but  a  few  days  away.  And  we  are 
all  that  lies  between  Santa  Anna  and  unprotected 


176          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Texas !  Here  is  where  he  and  his  army  should  be 
met  and  driven  back  off  the  free  soil  of  Texas. 
This  is  the  spot  where  Freedom  should  make  her 
first  and  bravest  stand.  If  Texas  had  an  army  here 
now  to  meet  Santa  Anna  and  his  army —  But," 
and  his  eyes  swept  the  little  encampment  of  Texan 
soldiers,  scarce  a  hundred  and  fifty  strong,  "this  is 
all  Texas  has  left  us  to  meet  and  drive  back  the 
thousands  of  Santa  Anna,  all  that  stands  between 
the  Mexican  soldiery  and  our  unprotected  frontier, 
with  its  thousands  of  defenseless  women  and  chil- 
dren. We  cannot,  we  dare  not  for  the  sake  of 
those  same  defenseless  women  and  children,  aban- 
don our  post  here  and  suffer  the  savage  hordes  of 
Santa  Anna  to  swoop  down  upon  them  almost  with- 
out warning;  and  we  cannot  hope  to  defeat  and 
drive  back  an  army,  even  of  Mexicans.  We  can 
only  hope  to  delay  their  advance,  until  the  settlers 
have  had  time  to  take  warning  and  flee,  until 
Texas  can  arouse  her  defenders  and  prepare  an 
army  to  meet  the  army  of  Santa  Anna ;  and  this  we 
must  do,  at  whatever  sacrifice  to  ourselves,  at  what- 
ever sacrifice  to  ourselves,"  he  repeated  softly,  his 
brave  face  saddening  and  ar  far-away  look  coming 
into  his  eyes.  Did  he  already  foresee  the  Alamo 
and  its  gloriously  fatal  defense,  and  the  weeping 
faces  of  his  loved  wife  and  baby  boy,  who  were 
never  to  see  again  in  this  life  the  dear  husband 
and  father  ? 

"But,  why  don't  General  Sam  or  the  Council  or 


A  Glorious  American  Triumvirate       177 

Governor  Smith  send  you  more  men  ?"  Crockett  in- 
quired hotly. 

"Because,"  Bowie  answered,  his  gray  eyes  glint- 
ing angrily,  "General  Sam,  as  you  call  him,  and 
Governor  Smith  and  the  Council  and  a  lot  of  other 
big  and  little  men  are  too  busy  among  themselves 
to  have  any  time  to  bother  with  us  way  out  here  in 
a  little  frontier  Mexican  town.  Like  a  team  of 
obstinate  mules  they're  all  pulling  and  kicking  and 
braying  against  one  another.  But,  I  reckon  the 
coming  of  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  will  pull  them 
up  short  in  their  traces — too  late  to  do  us  any  good. 
But,"  and  the  rapier  points  glittered  in  his  eyes, 
"we're  enough  to  show  Santa  Anna  and  his  army 
of  Greasers  how  Texans  can  fight,  and  die,  if  they 
must;  and  the  fewer  our  number  the  greater  our 
glory.  Aye,  it  will  be  a  great  fight,  Davy,  a  great 
fight !  The  fight  of  my  life,  Davy !"  and  the  gray 
eyes  scintillated  and  glittered  and  the  tall  frame 
expanded;  for  the  greater  the  odds  of  battle,  the 
more  joyous  and  glorious  seemed  the  prospect  to 
this  remarkable  man,  this  American  viking,  des- 
perado, patriot,  hero. 

"I  am  with  you,  by  the  eternal  I  am  with  you, 
Jim  Bowie!"  and  Crockett  gripped  Bowie's  hand. 
"You  can  count  on  Davy  Crockett,  so  long  as  there 
is  a  bullet  in  his  pouch  or  a  drop  of  hot  American 
blood  in  his  veins.  But,  I'd  like  to  jab  a  pitchfork 
into  them  pesky  government  mules,  wish  I  may  be 
shot,  if  I  wouldn't.  Of  course  you  have  asked  for 


178  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

reinforcements  and  told  them  your  situation?"  and 
again  Crockett  turned  to  Colonel  Travis. 

"Yes,"  and  Colonel  Travis  smiled,  "the  Council 
knows  our  needs,  the  governor  knows,  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  our  armies  knows,  all  know  how 
utterly  inadequate  in  men  and  munitions  we  are  to 
hold  this  place  against  any  considerable  armed 
force ;  and  yet  we  must  hold  it,  we  must  hold  it  long 
enough  to  check  the  advance  of  Santa  Anna's  army, 
long  enough  for  the  women  and  children  to  flee,  or, 
God  have  mercy  on  our  helpless  frontier!  Oh,  if 
Fannin  would  only  come!"  and,  involuntarily  the 
eyes  of  Travis  turned  in  the  direction  of  Goliad, 
where  Fannin  with  over  four  hundred  men  lay 
nursing  his  fatal  indecision.  "With  his  men  added 
to  our  men  we  might  do  something  effective  to  stay 
the  progress  of  Santa  Anna,  might  even  defeat  this 
Mexican  Thunderer,  this  self-styled  Napoleon  of 
the  West.  We  could  at  least  hold  San  Antonio 
until  General  Houston  could  gather  together  his 
army  and  come  to  our  rescue.  United,  we  might 
conquer;  but,  separated,  Santa  Anna  can  crush  us 
both !  Alas,  why  cannot  Fannin  see  this !  See  that 
here,  not  at  Goliad,  is  the  place  to  defy  the  Mexican 
despot !  But,  what  is  the  use  of  dreaming  of  might- 
bes.  It  is  the  will-bes  that  we  must  be  thinking 
about,"  and  the  light  deepened  in  the  glowing  eyes 
and  the  firm  lips  tightened.  "We  have  only  to  do 
our  duty,  and  leave  the  duties  of  others  for  the 
others  to  do.  Now,"  and  he  turned  to  our  friends, 


A  Glorious  American  Triumvirate       179 

"you  are  weary  I  know,  and,  as  it  is  already  late  for 
soldiers  who  must  be  stirring  early,  with  your  per- 
mission, I  will  show  you  to  your  quarters.  They 
are  soldier  quarters;  but,  let  the  warmth  of  our 
welcome  soften  their  hardness,"  and,  turning  to  a 
couple  of  soldiers,  he  bade  them  take  torches  and 
lead  the  way. 

Trav  and  Tom  had  listened  to  the  brave  words 
of  Colonel  Travis  and  Bowie  with  glowing  hearts. 
They  understood  the  situation  well  enough  to  know 
that  not  one  word  had  been  uttered  idly,  that  these 
heroic  men  were  deliberately  preparing  to  place 
their  bodies  between  the  brutal  hordes  of  Santa 
Anna's  army  and  the  defenseless  homes  of  the  set- 
tlers, and  doing  it  knowing  that  the  chances  were 
that  they  would  be  overwhelmed  and  crushed;  and 
the  courage  and  patriotism  of  both  boys  had  been 
so  moved  that  they  longed  to  be  with  them  in  the 
glorious  venture. 

"I  hope  that  Santa  Anna  will  come  before  we 
go,"  Tom  whispered  to  Trav,  as  the  two  lads  fol- 
lowed behind  the  men  and  the  flaring  torches.  "I 
should  like  to  show  him  how  Texan  boys  can  fight 
for  their  homes  and  liberties,  for  their  mothers  and 
sisters.  Oh,  as  Bowie  says,  it  will  be  a  great  fight, 
a  great  fight !" 

"Yes,"  Trav  answered  slowly,  "it  will  be  a  great 
fight,  and  I  should  like  to  see  it  and  be  in  it,  should 
like  to  face  that  tyrant,  Santa  Anna;  but,"  and  his 
face  saddened,  "there  are  mother  and  Kitty,  and 


i8o          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

father  is  wounded.  They  must  go  from  here  before 
the  Mexicans  come,  or,"  and  he  lowered  his  voice, 
"I  fear  they  will  never  go  at  all;  for,  if  I  can  under- 
stand the  meaning  back  of  Colonel  Travis's  words, 
he  does  not  intend  to  retreat  before  the  army  of 
Santa  Anna,  and  that  will  mean  a  fight  to  the  death. 
But,  aren't  they  great,  Travis  and  Bowie  and  Crock- 
ett? Just  to  hear  them  talk  makes  a  fellow  feel 
like  pulling  off  his  coat  and  rolling  up  his  shirt 
sleeves  and  wading  into  the  whole  Mexican  army 
alone,  with  Santa  Anna  thrown  in  on  top  for  good 


measure." 


Here  the  two  torch-bearers  entered  a  long  low 
stone  building,  and  the  boys,  who  had  fallen  a  few 
steps  behind  in  order  to  talk  more  freely,  hurried 
forward  to  the  side  of  Davy  Crockett.  Down  a 
long  hall  the  torch-bearers  led  the  way,  and 
stopped  before  a  great  oak  door,  which  Colonel 
Travis  threw  open  and  stepped  back  for  our  friends 
to  enter. 

The  room  was  small,  not  over  twelve  feet  square, 
with  bare  stone  walls  and  floor,  and  without  fur- 
niture of  any  kind,  unless  the  little  pile  of  blankets 
in  one  of  its  corners  might  be  called  a  bed.  Its 
single  window  was  protected  by  heavy  iron  bars 
and  looked  out  on  an  interior  court,  now  shrouded 
in  the  darkness  of  night. 

"This  building,"  Colonel  Travis  said,  as  he  dis- 
missed the  two  soldiers  and  taking  the  torches  thrust 
them  into  iron  sockets,  one  on  each  side  of  the 


A  Glorious  American  Triumvirate       181 

door,  "is  known  as  the  Priest's  House,  on  account 
of  its  having  been  occupied  by  the  priests  before  the 
capture  of  the  town  by  the  Texans ;  and  this  is  one 
of  their  sleeping  rooms.  Not  a  very  luxurious 
chamber,"  and  he  glanced  around  with  a  smile. 
4 'But  I  can  assure  you  the  priests  made  themselves 
very  comfortable  in  it.  However,  the  soldiers  have 
stripped  the  whole  house  of  everything  that  would 
burn  for  fuel  and  left  it  as  bare  as  a  stable.  But 
you  will  find  plenty  of  blankets  in  the  corner,"  and 
he  nodded  toward  the  pile  of  blankets;  "and  sol- 
diers' beds  are  the  best  we  have  to  offer  now.  May 
no  priestly  ghosts  appear  to  disturb  your  rest. 
Good  night,"  and,  smiling  and  bowing,  he  stepped 
from  the  room  and  closed  the  door  behind  him. 

For  half  an  hour  Davy  Crockett  and  Jonas  Gif- 
ford  and  Bill  Thomas  and  the  two  boys  sat  and 
talked  over  the  happenings  of  the  day  in  the  red 
light  of  the  torches;  and  then,  when  at  last,  in  a 
flare  of  smoke,  both  torches  burned  out,  Davy  rolled 
himself  up  in  a  blanket,  stretched  his  long  body  out 
on  the  hard  stones  of  the  floor,  and  signified  his  in- 
tention of  going  to  sleep  by  declaring  that  he  would 
"chuck  his  boot  down  the  mouth  of  the  first  one  to 
utter  a  loud  word  before  morning." 

The  others  all  followed  his  example,  and  in  ten 
minutes  more  were  sleeping  soundly. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  BRIGHT  SPOT  OF  SUNLIGHT 

TRAV  was  the  first  one  to  awake  the  next  morn- 
ing. He  lay  almost  underneath  the  single 
window  of  the  room,  through  which  the  bright  rays 
of  the  early  morning  sun  were  now  shining  and 
falling  in  a  glowing  patch  of  white  light  on  the 
stone  floor  a  couple  of  feet  from  his  head.  For  a 
moment  he  stared  wonderingly  round  at  the  stone 
walls  of  the  bare  room ;  then,  as  he  realized  where 
he  was,  his  eyes  turned  quickly  to  the  window,  and, 
following  the  ray  of  light,  rested  on  the  glowing 
patch  on  the  floor. 

Suddenly  Trav  sat  bolt  upright  on  his  blanket,  his 
eyes  staring  at  a  glittering  object  that  lay  on  the 
floor,  not  two  feet  from  where  his  head  had  lain, 
and  where  the  sunlight  shone  directly  down  on  it. 

"Tom !  Tom !"  and  he  seized  Tom,  who  lay  close 
by  his  side,  roughly  by  the  shoulder  and  shook  the 
still  sleeping  boy  violently.  "Wake  up!  Look 
there!"  and  he  pointed  to  the  glitter  in  the  bright 
spot  of  light. 

Tom  sat  upright  with  a  jerk,  rubbed  his  eyes, 
and  stared  in  the  direction  of  the  pointing  finger. 

"What—  How  did  that  get  there?—  Davy! 

182 


The  Bright  Spot  of  Sunlight  183 

Father !"  and  he  sat  still,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  shin- 
ing patch  of  bright  sunlight. 

Davy  Crockett  and  Jonas  Gifford  and  Bill 
Thomas  started  up  from  their  blankets  at  the  first 
call  of  Tom,  and  turned  anxious,  inquiring  faces 
toward  the  two  boys. 

"Look — look  there!  How  did  that  get  there? 
I  am  sure  it  was  not  there  when  we  went  to  sleep," 
and  Trav  again  pointed  toward  the  thing  glitter- 
ing in  the  bright  spot  of  sunlight. 

"A  Mexican  dagger,  by  the  eternal !"  and  Crock- 
ett reached  forth  a  quick  hand  and  seized  the  glit- 
tering weapon  that  had  so  greatly  startled  Trav 
and  Tom.  "And  with  the  sender's  card!  Mighty 
polite,  these  Greasers,"  and  he  pulled  from  the  dag- 
ger a  square  piece  of  white  cardboard,  through 
which  the  keen  blade  had  been  thrust  up  to  its  haft. 
"Reckon  it's  another  Greaser  message,"  and  he  held 
the  card  up  to  the  light. 

Rudely  drawn  on  the  card,  apparently  with  blood, 
was  a  red  dagger  dripping  red  drops,  and  under- 
neath the  dagger  was  roughly  printed  these  words : 

"Next  time  knife  not  miss  heart  of 
Big  Bull,  who  crack  skulls  of  Mex- 
icans with  bare  fists.  Next  time,  wife 
and  girl  no  rescue.  Fool  Mexican 
once;  never  twice.  No  escape  Mex- 
ican vengeance.  Mexican  arm  long. 
Reach  round  earth  and  strike  sudden 


184          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  deadly,  like  rattlesnake.    My  fa- 
ther, my  brother,  I  will  avenge. 

"VASQUEZ." 

Trav  and  Tom  shuddered  as  they  read  this  card. 
They  seemed  to  see  the  wicked,  cunning,  grinning 
face  of  Vasquez  leering  triumphantly  at  them  from 
behind  it.  Was  there  no  escaping  the  toils  of  this 
villain  ? 

But,  if  he  could  reach  their  room,  might  he  not 
also  have  reached  the  room  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly  and  Kitty?  At  the  thought  Trav's  face 
whitened,  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"Father !— Mother !— Kitty !— He  might—"  Here 
the  boy's  voice  faltered.  "I  must  go  to  them  at 
once/'  and,  with  quick  hands,  he  began  pulling  on 
the  few  garments  he  had  taken  off  for  the  night. 

"Shucks,  Trav,  don't  let  a  little  Greaser  blood  on 
a  white  card  scare  you,"  and  Crockett  contemptu- 
ously thrust  the  dagger  and  the  bit  of  pasteboard 
into  his  pocket.  Nevertheless  he  was  the  first  one 
ready  and  led  the  way  out  of  the  stone-walled  bed- 
room. 

The  Priest's  House  opened  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Plaza  de  Armas,  the  site  of  the  old  Mexican 
barracks,  now  occupied  by  Travis  and  his  Texan 
soldiers;  and,  when  our  friends  stepped  from  the 
gloomy  old  stone  building  into  the  clear  cool  air  of 
that  bright  February  morning,  they  found  them- 
selves in  the  midst  of  an  animated  and  interesting 


The  Bright  Spot  of  Sunlight  185 

scene.  Soldiers  were  hurrying  hither  and  thither, 
some  with  pails  of  water  from  the  public  fountain, 
others  with  bundles  of  firewood,  all  busily  preparing 
their  morning  meal,  and  all  joking  and  laughing, 
as  if  such  a  thing  as  Santa  Anna  and  the  Mexican 
army  had  never  been  heard  of.  Indeed,  these  were 
men  who  would  have  a  fling  even  at  grim  Death 
itself. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  plaza  Colonel  Travis 
stood  talking  with  Jim  Bowie.  The  moment  Crock- 
ett saw  them  he  gave  the  view-halloo  and  hurried 
over  to  where  they  stood,  followed  by  the  others; 
and  showed  them  the  Mexican  dagger  and  card, 
and  told  where  they  had  been  found. 

While  Travis  and  Bowie  were  examining  the 
dagger  and  card,  Lieutenant  Dickinson  appeared; 
and  reported  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  an  invitation 
from  Mrs.  Dickinson  for  Trav  and  Tom  to  eat 
breakfast  and  spend  the  day  with  Kitty  and  her 
father  and  mother. 

"Then — then  nothing  happened  to  anyone  dur- 
ing the  night  ?"  Trav  inquired  eagerly.  "And 
mother  and  father  and  Kitty  are  all  right?" 

"Yes,  certainly —  Why,  what  have  you  there?" 
and  his  eyes  rested  on  the  Mexican  dagger. 

"Just  a  little  remembrance  from  our  Greaser 
friend  to  show  that  he  has  not  forgotten  us,"  Crock- 
ett said,  as  he  handed  Lieutenant  Dickinson  the 
card  and  dagger.  "Found  that  this  morning  on 
the  floor  under  the  window  of  our  room  in  the 


186          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Priest's  House;  and  we  were  a  bit  worried,  think- 
ing that  he  might  also  have  remembered  Sam  and 
Mother  Jane  and  Kitty-Cat  in  some  such  Greaser- 
like  way.  Betsey's  just  got  one  word  to  speak  to 
that  skunk,  if  ever  I  sot  eyes  on  him  again,"  and 
Crockett's  dark  eyes  flashed.  "Now,  trot  along  to 
your  fodder  with  the  lieutenant,"  and  he  turned 
a  grinning  face  to  the  two  boys;  "and  mind  you, 
don't  say  anything  about  this  little  Mexican  me- 
mento to  Sam  or  Mother  Jane.  'Twould  only  rile 
Sam's  temper,  and  worry  Mother  Jane,  and  whiten 
Kitty-Cat's  pretty  cheeks  to  know  about  it.  The 
top  of  this  beautiful  morning  and  a  kiss  to  Kitty- 
Cat,"  he  called  after  the  two  boys,  as  they  hurried 
away  with  Lieutenant  Dickinson. 

Mrs.  Dickinson,  with  a  little  bright-eyed  girl, 
just  old  enough  to  talk  and  walk,  clinging  to  her 
dress,  met  Trav  and  Tom  at  the  door,  and  gave 
them  a  most  cordial  welcome,  which,  after  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation,  during  which  the  bright  eyes  most 
carefully  scrutinized  the  faces  of  the  two  lads,  was 
thus  lovingly  seconded  by  the  little  miss :  "Fs  glad 
to  see  oo.  Tome  and  tiss  me,"  and  the  sweet  lips 
were  upraised  to  the  faces  of  the  two  boys. 

They  found  Sam  McNelly  sitting  up  in  an  easy 
chair,  with  Kitty  and  her  mother  hovering  lovingly 
about  him.  His  face  was  a  shade  or  two  whiter 
than  usual ;  but  the  same  merry  twinkle  was  in  his 
eyes,  and  the  voice  in  which  he  greeted  the  boys 
was  as  big  and  strong  and  blithesome  as  ever. 


The  Bright  Spot  of  Sunlight  187 

Evidently  the  surgeon  had  not  misjudged  his 
wound. 

Tootsey,  as  the  lieutenant  had  affectionately 
nicknamed  his  little  daughter,  promptly  climbed  up 
into  Trav's  lap  the  moment  he  was  seated,  and  her 
soft  little  hands  at  once  began  an  exploring  expedi- 
tion over  his  face,  lingering  about  his  nose  and  eyes 
and  finally  resting  with  one  chubby  finger  hooked 
into  each  of  his  ears. 

"Oo  is  all  right,"  she  said,  and  kissed  him. 

Trav  was  delighted,  and  the  others  all  laughed 
merrily;  and  Tootsey,  from  that  moment,  claimed 
Trav  as  her  own,  and  thereafter,  whenever  he  was 
present,  she  would  have  very  little  to  do  with  any- 
body else. 

The  breakfast  was  eaten  in  the  invalid's  room, 
on  a  large  pine  table,  covered  with  a  snowy-white 
table-cloth,  which  considerably  awed  Trav  and 
Tom,  who  were  unused  to  any  such  table  refine- 
ments, but  delighted  the  feminine  eyes  of  Kitty. 
And  a  merry  meal  it  was,  one  that  Trav  and  Tom 
often  thought  of  in  the  after  days,  and  always  with 
a  sigh  for  the  gallant  young  officer,  who  so  gra- 
ciously presided  over  its  bounties  and  kept  everyone 
laughing  with  his  merry  tales  and  kindly  witticisms, 
and  who  was  so  soon  to  be  numbered  with  the 
world's  heroic  dead. 

That  night,  a  little  before  sundown,  Trav  and 
Tom  were  summoned  by  a  messenger  to  the  quar- 
ters of  Colonel  Travis,  where  they  found  Bowie  and 


1 88          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Crockett  in  earnest  consultation  with  the  colonel. 

"Jim  and  I  arc  going  to  have  a  try  at  finding  that 
knife-throwing  Greaser  skunk,  Vasquez,"  Crockett 
said,  the  moment  the  boys  came  in  the  room,  "and 
we  want  you  boys  to  go  along  as  sort  of  stool- 
pigeons.  We  reckon  he'll  be  hanging  'round  some 
of  the  Mexican  joints,  and  like  as  not  we  can  run 
onto  him;  and,  if  we  do,  there  won't  be  any  more 
knife-throwing  and  dagger-messages.  Anyway, 
Bowie  and  I  can't  rest  until  we  have  a  try.  Are 
you  willing  to  go  along?  'Twill  be  some  risky." 

"Sure,  we'll  go,"  both  boys  answered  eagerly. 

"Then  get  your  pistols  and  knives,  but  leave  your 
rifles  and  meet  us  at  the  fountain  in  the  plaza  in 
about  an  hour.  We're  not  quite  through  with  our 
pow-wow  with  the  colonel  yet." 

Trav  and  Tom  at  once  hurried  back  to  the 
Priest's  House,  where  they  had  left  their  weapons, 
carefully  reloaded  their  pistols ;  and  then,  with  their 
pistols  and  hunting-knives  in  their  belts,  sought  the 
fountain  in  the  plaza,  there  to  await  the  coming  of 
Crockett  and  Bowie. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CROCKETT  CALLS  BIG  IKE'S  BLUFF 

THEY  had  nearly  an  hour  to  wait  before  Davy 
Crockett  and  Jim  Bowie,  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Travis,  appeared.  Both  men  were  armed, 
as  were  the  boys,  only  with  their  knives  and  pistols, 
and  both  wore  heavy  Mexican  cloaks  and  broad- 
brimmed  peaked  Mexican  hats. 

"Attention,  company !  Forward,  march !"  Crock- 
ett sang  out  as  he  came  up;  and  without  any  fur- 
ther words  the  two  boys  fell  in  behind  the  three 
men. 

At  the  boundary  to  the  plaza  Colonel  Travis, 
cautioning  them  to  remember  how  valuable  their 
lives  were  just  now  to  Texas  and  not  to  expose 
them  rashly,  bade  them  good-by,  and  returned  to 
his  military  duties. 

Crockett  and  Bowie,  bidding  Trav  and  Tom  to 
keep  close  behind  them,  started  at  once  down  a  dark 
street,  which  led  to  where  they  could  hear  the 
sounds  of  Mexican  revelry  and  see  the  lights  from 
many  torches  and  candles  shining  through  the  win- 
dows of  shops  and  places  of  amusement — the  only 
street-lights  afforded  by  San  Antonio  at  that  date. 


1 90          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

It  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  now  an  hour  or 
more  after  sundown,  and  the  night  was  cloudy  and 
very  dark. 

As  they  approached  the  lighted  area  of  the  street 
the  two  men  drew  their  cloaks  closely  around  their 
bodies  and  up  high  over  their  mouths  and  noses, 
after  the  manner  of  Mexicans,  who  fear  the  taste 
of  cold  air  as  a  cat  fears  water;  and,  just  before 
they  reached  the  first  lighted  windows,  they  paused 
in  the  black  shadows  of  a  projecting  building. 

"Now,"  Crockett  whispered,  "you  boys  just  wan- 
der on  ahead,  like  as  if  you  never  knowed  us,  always 
keeping  your  eyes  peeled  for  Vasquez;  and  we'll 
follow  on  close  behind  promiscus  like  and  not  acting 
as  if  we  knowed  you.  If  he  gets  sight  of  you  and 
sees  that  you're  alone,  like  as  not  he'll  think  that 
you're  his  bear,  and  not  get  scary,  but  try  some 
game  to  get  you  in  his  power,  and  give  Bowie  and 
me  a  chance  to  get  at  him;  and  then,  we'll  do  the 
rest,"  and  he  smiled  grimly.  "Understand?" 

"Yes,"  "yes,"  answered  both  boys. 

"Then  get  a  hustle  on  you;  and  remember  that 
we're  nothing  but  a  couple  of  straying  Greasers,  so 
far  as  you  are  knowing,  until  the  time  for  action 
comes,"  and  Crockett  gave  each  of  the  boys  a  gentle 
push  ahead  toward  the  light  and  the  music  and  the 
merry  sounds  of  revelry. 

San  Antonio  at  this  date  was  almost  entirely  a 
Mexican  town.  Outside  of  the  Texan  soldiers  gar- 
risoning the  place  there  was  scarcely  an  honest 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff  191 

foreigner  in  all  the  town;  but  there  were  many 
renegades  and  desperadoes  from  the  "States,"  who 
had  fled  their  country  for  their  own  and  their  coun- 
try's good.  These  apostates  to  country  and  race 
were  leaders  in  all  kinds  of  Mexican  devilment,  and 
spent  most  of  their  time  when  in  town  in  the  dance- 
halls  and  saloons,  ready  to  take  a  hand  in  anything 
going  that  promised  to  tickle  their  depraved  sense 
of  sport.  The  Mexicans  themselves  are  a  merry 
race,  when  with  their  own  kind ;  and  the  street  was 
thronged  with  cloaked  figures  hurrying  from  one 
place  of  amusement  to  another ;  and  through  many 
an  opened  door  came  the  tinkle  of  guitars  or  the 
twang- twang  of  banjos  or  the  softer  strains  of  vio- 
lins, and  the  sounds  of  dancing  feet  and  light- 
hearted  laughter. 

Trav  and  Tom  were  greatly  interested.  Every- 
thing, people,  houses,  clothing,  and  ways  of  merry- 
making, all  were  new  and  novel  to  their  eyes;  and 
many  were  their  surprised  and  curious  glances,  as 
they  threaded  their  way  through  the  crowds  of 
cloaked  men  and  rebozo-hooded  dames  and  girls, 
whose  black  eyes  flashed  in  the  light  like  jewels. 
Before  a  large  building,  brilliantly  lighted,  whence 
came  the  sounds  of  music  and  the  dancing  of  many 
feet,  the  two  boys  paused  hesitatingly. 

"Go  in.  Go  in,"  whispered  a  tall  cloaked  figure, 
as  it  pushed  roughly  by  Trav  and  entered  the  door. 

For  an  instant  the  words  startled  Trav,  then  he 
smiled  to  himself  at  his  timidity,  as  he  recognized 


192          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  tall  form  of  Bowie  in  the  cloaked  figure  of  the 
whisperer. 

"Come  on,"  and  he  turned  to  Tom.  "Let's  have 
a  look  inside,"  and  he  followed  the  tall  figure  into 
the  building. 

The  room  in  which  the  boys  found  themselves  was 
large,  and  lighted  with  many  flaring  candles  and 
torches,  and  heavy  with  the  fumes  of  liquor  and 
tobacco  smoke  and  dust  pounded  out  of  the  floor  by 
the  dancing  feet.  Near  its  center  whirled  the 
dancers,  to  the  clicking  of  castanets,  the  tinkling  of 
guitars,  and  the  merry  strains  of  violins,  the  light 
mantillas  of  the  black-eyed  seiioritas  floating  grace- 
fully about  their  dark  hair  and  glowing  faces,  and 
the  slashed  trousers  and  bright  sashes  of  the  cav- 
aliers adding  color  and  picturesqueness  to  the  gay 
scene.  Seated  and  standing  around  the  dancers 
and  leaning  up  against  the  bar  in  one  end  of  the 
room  was  an  ever-shifting  crowd  of  men  and 
women,  watching  the  whirling  bodies  of  the  gay 
senoritas  and  senors  and  every  now  and  then  re- 
cruiting their  ranks  with  a  couple  who  had  just 
entered  or  had  been  resting. 

One  of  these  men,  standing  almost  directly  across 
the  room  from  the  door,  glanced  quickly,  out  of  a 
pair  of  black  snake-like  eyes,  in  the  direction  of  the 
boys  as  they  entered,  started  slightly,  and  then  slid 
swiftly  behind  the  broad  shoulders  of  a  huge  red- 
whiskered  man,  who  stood,  with  great  legs  spread 
wide  apart,  his  bloodshot  eyes  following  every 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff  193 

movement  of  a  particularly  graceful  and  beautiful 
Mexican  girl,  who  was  dancing  the  fandango  with 
a  bewitching  abandon  that  turned  in  her  direction 
many  an  admiring  eye.  Unseen,  from  behind  this 
whiskered  bulwark,  the  pair  of  black  snake-like 
eyes  kept  close  watch  of  Trav  and  Tom. 

"Now,"  thought  Trav,  the  moment  his  eyes  had 
become  accustomed  to  the  bright  light,  "let  us  first 
see  if  Vasquez  is  in  the  room";  and,  with  this  end 
in  view,  he  pushed  himself  forward,  with  Tom  at 
his  elbow,  to  the  front  rank  of  the  watchers,  his 
eyes  searching  swiftly  the  faces  of  the  men  in  the 
circle,  and  then  turning,  with  a  disappointed  look, 
to  the  dancers. 

At  this  moment  the  beautiful  Mexican  girl 
whirled  almost  directly  in  front  of  the  boys,  and 
her  eyes,  dancing  as  fascinatingly  as  her  feet, 
flashed  into  their  faces.  For  a  minute  she  pirou- 
etted before  them,  keeping  her  bold  eyes  on  their 
faces,  and  then,  suddenly,  she  gyrated  up  to  Trav, 
lightly  as  a  flitting  butterfly,  and  stopped,  bowing 
and  smiling,  directly  in  front  of  the  astonished  boy, 
whose  face  flushed  the  color  of  the  crimson  mantilla 
that  now  hung  in  pretty  disorder  about  her  neck, 
and  held  out  a  soft  little  dimpled  hand  to  him. 

Trav  stared  at  the  little  hand  blankly  for  an  in- 
stant, then  gingerly  seized  it,  gave  it  a  couple  of 
quick  jerks,  and  dropped  it  as  if  the  soft  flesh 
burned  his  fingers. 

"Dance,  she  wants  you  to  dance  with  her,  you 


194          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

young  idiot,"  bellowed  a   rough  voice   from  the 
crowd. 

But  there  was  no  dance  in  Trav's  trembling  legs ; 
and,  hardly  knowing  what  he  did  so  great  was  his 
embarrassment,  he  stepped  back  and  turned  his  back 
on  the  girl. 

Instantly  the  room  was  in  an  uproar.  A  dozen 
men,  desperadoes  every  one  of  them,  headed  by  the 
huge,  red-whiskered  bulwark  to  the  pair  of  black 
snake-like  eyes,  rushed  toward  Trav,  to  avenge 
what  they  deemed  an  insult  to  the  beautiful  Mex- 
ican girl ;  while  the  owner  of  the  pair  of  black  eyes 
moved  swiftly  among  the  Mexican  men,  speaking  in 
short,  quick  sentences  to  here  and  there  a  man,  who 
at  once  began  working  his  way  through  the  crowd 
toward  the  spot  where  the  two  boys  stood  sur- 
rounded by  the  angry  men. 

"You  won't  dance  to  please  this  little  beauty,  hey  ?" 
roared  he  of  the  red  whiskers.  "Well,  then,  dance 
to  please  me,"  and  he  jerked  out  of  his  belt  a  huge 
double-barreled  pistol  and  leveled  it  at  Trav's  feet, 
whose  legs  had  ceased  to  tremble  now  that  he  had 
to  deal  only  with  men.  "Dance,  you  white  skunk. 
Lively  now,  or — "  and  the  pistol  flamed  and  the 
ball  buried  itself  in  the  floor  not  half  an  inch  from 
Trav's  toes.  "Dance,  or  off  goes  a  toe  at  the  next 
shot.  Dance,  you — " 

"Now,  don't  get  too  rip-roarously  rambunctuous, 
friend,"  and  the  tall  form  of  Davy  Crockett,  his 
cloak  thrown  open  and  one  hand  resting  on  his  belt 


"  Now  don't  get  too  rip-roarously  rambunctious,  friend. 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff  195 

suggestively  near  the  butt  of  his  pistol,  stepped  in 
front  of  the  be-whiskered  champion.  "The  young- 
ster meant  no  offense.  He  was  just  naturally  daz- 
zled by  the  beauty  of  the  gal." 

For  an  instant  Red  Whiskers  glared  at  Crockett 
in  astonishment  at  his  temerity  in  daring  to  brave 
his  wrath;  and  then,  as  he  caught  the  cold,  stead- 
fast glitter  in  Crockett's  eyes,  the  hand  that  had 
been  about  to  turn  the  pistol  in  his  direction  re- 
mained where  it  was. 

"Hey !"  he  roared,  his  red  eyes  glowing  like  coals 
of  fire.  "I  am  Big  Ike,  the  Red  Terror  of  Texas, 
who  never  met  his  equal  in  man,  beast,  or  devil.  I 
drink  blood,  eat  raw  flesh,  and  pick  'my  teeth  with 
the  bones  of  the  men  I  have  killed.  Now,  who  be 
you  that  dares  to  come  between  Big  Ike  and  the 
object  of  his  wrath?"  and,  with  every  red  whisker 
bristling,  he  turned  on  Crockett  a  pair  of  furious, 
bloodshot,  tigerish  eyes. 

"I  am  that  same  Davy  Crockett,"  and  the  gleam 
in  the  cold,  steadfast  eyes  never  wavered,  and  the 
hand  never  left  the  belt  near  the  butt  of  the  pistol, 
"fresh  from  the  backwoods  of  Tennessee,  half 
horse,  half  alligator,  and  a  little  touched  with  the 
snapping-turtle,  shaggy  as  a  bear,  wolfish  about  the 
head,  active  as  a  painter,  and  can  grin  like  a  hyena 
till  the  bark  curls  off  a  gum-log.  I  can  wade  the 
Mississippi,  leap  the  Rio  Grande,  ride  upon  a  streak 
of  lightning,  and  slip  without  a  scratch  down  a 
honey-locust.  I  can  whip  my  weight  in  wildcats, 


ig6          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and,  if  any  gentleman  pleases,  for  a  ten-dollar  bill 
he  can  throw  in  a  painter.  I  can  hug  a  bear  till 
his  ribs  crack  and  he  growls  for  mercy,  and  I  prom- 
ise to  swallow,  without  gagging,  if  you  will  skewer 
back  his  ears  and  grease  his  whiskers,  this  same 
Red  Terror  of  Texas,  who  drinks  blood  and  eats 
raw  flesh,  and  picks  his  teeth  with  the  bones  of  the 
men  he  has  killed/'  and  Crockett  paused,  his  eyes 
still  on  the  tigerish  eyes  of  Big  Ike. 

During  this  remarkable  rhapsody  Big  Ike  stood 
staring  at  Crockett,  as  if  he  could  not  believe  his 
eyes  and  ears ;  and  when  Crockett  stopped  speaking 
he  still  stood  and  stared  at  him. 

Even  the  mad  jam  of  men  that  had  gathered  close 
around  the  leading  actors  in  this  wild  scene,  stood 
still  and  stared  at  Davy  Crockett,  utterly  dumb- 
founded by  the  words  and  actions  of  this  strange, 
fearless  man,  who  had  so  effectively  and  defiantly 
called  Big  Ike's  bluff.  But  they  knew  Big  Ike, 
knew  that  no  man  had  ever  before  thus  boldly  defied 
him  and  lived  five  minutes;  and,  after  the  first  shock 
of  surprise,  those  nearest  to  him,  with  a  shuddering 
glance  at  his  red  brutal  face,  began  pushing  back- 
ward, so  as  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  the  terrible 
blast  of  wrath  that  they  knew  must  surely  follow  so 
bold  and  deadly  an  insult. 

Trav  by  this  time  had  recovered  from  the  con- 
fusion of  mind  into  which  the  swift  series  of  shocks 
he  had  received  since  entering  the  Mexican  dance- 
hall  had  thrown  him;  and,  when  Davy  Crockett 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff  197 

stopped  speaking,  he  stepped  quickly  to  his  side,  and, 
placing  his  hand  on  the  butt  of  his  pistol,  stood 
glaring  angrily  at  the  red-headed  giant  who  had 
come  so  near  to  shooting  the  toes  off  his  feet,  ready 
to  do  some  shooting  himself,  if  there  were  need. 

Tom,  with  a  very  white  face,  but  without  an  in- 
stant's hesitation,  joined  Trav. 

And  thus,  in  the  sudden  silence  of  that  startled 
room,  where,  for  the  instant,  no  one  seemed  to  dare 
to  breathe  and  every  sound  was  stilled,  the  three, 
Davy  Crockett  and  the  two  boys,  stood  facing  the 
desperado,  Big  Ike,  and  back  of  him  a  dozen  other 
white  desperadoes,  and  back  of  them  a  wolfish  pack 
of  glaring  Mexicans. 

For,  possibly,  a  full  minute,  although  in  the  dread 
silence  of  that  room  the  time  seemed  much  longer, 
Big  Ike  stood  staring  at  Crockett,  his  red  face  grow- 
ing redder,  the  wrath  in  his  bloodshot  eyes  glower- 
ing more  furiously ;  and  then,  with  a  roar  that  made 
the  white  foam  fly,  he  swung  the  hand  that  held  the 
double-barreled  pistol,  one  barrel  of  which  remained 
loaded,  swiftly  toward  Crockett. 

But,  swift  and  sudden  as  were  the  movements  of 
Big  Ike,  the  actions  of  Davy  Crockett,  whose  eyes 
had  never  once  left  the  red-whiskered  face,  were 
swifter  and  more  sudden.  With  a  spring  forward, 
quick  and  sure  as  the  leap  of  a  wildcat,  he  swung 
back  his  right  fist  and  struck,  with  all  the  might  of 
his  muscular  arm  and  body,  straight  at  the  huge 
red  head;  and  Big  Ike,  even  with  the  mad  yell 


198          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

coming  from  his  lips  and  the  smoke  leaping  harm- 
lessly from  his  pistol,  shot  backward  and  sideward, 
and  landed  on  the  floor  with  a  thud  that  made  the 
flames  of  the  candles  and  torches  jump.  The  next 
instant  Crockett,  with  his  pistol  in  one  hand  and  his 
knife  in  the  other,  stood  over  the  prostrate  body  of 
the  desperado ;  and  by  his  side,  knives  and  pistols  in 
their  hands,  stood  Trav  and  Tom. 

For  a  brief  moment,  the  mob  of  white  desperadoes 
and  the  wolfish  pack  of  Mexicans  behind  them  stood 
as  if  paralyzed  by  this  sudden  and  unexpected  over- 
throw of  their  champion ;  and  then  a  shrill  Mexican 
voice,  coming  from  a  few  feet  back  of  Davy  Crock- 
ett, yelled:  "Down  with  the  Americanos!  Down 
with  the  enemies  of  Mexico!  Kill!  Kill!  Kill!" 

The  cry  broke  the  spell ;  and,  with  curses  and  yells 
—whatever  else  these  desperadoes  were  they  were 
not  cowards — they  drew  their  knives,  they  dared  not 
use  their  pistols  in  that  crowded  room,  and  rushed 
toward  Davy  Crockett  and  the  two  boys;  while,  at 
the  same  moment,  three  Mexicans,  lithe  as  cats, 
crept  up  from  behind,  their  long  heavy  cloaks  held 
in  their  hands  ready  to  throw  over  the  heads  and 
shoulders  of  the  Americanos,  and  back  of  them, 
urging  them  on  with  shrill  whispers,  crept  the  man 
with  the  black  snake-like  eyes,  his  left  hand  gripping 
a  long  Mexican  dagger,  and  his  bandaged  right 
hand  held  in  a  sling. 

At  this  critical  juncture,  Jim  Bowie  dropped  the 
heavy  cloak,  that  up  to  this  moment  had  shrouded 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff  199 

his  face  and  tall  figure,  over  his  left  arm,  and,  with 
a  swift  whirl,  wrapped  it  around  the  arm  for  a 
shield,  and,  with  a  smile  on  his  lips  and  the  rapier- 
points  glittering  in  his  steel-gray  eyes,  leaped  in 
front  of  Crockett,  his  long  murderous  knife  flash- 
ing wickedly  in  the  light. 

"Guard  your  back,  Davy!  Guard  your  backs, 
boys !  I'll  give  these  devils  in  front  all  the  fighting 
they  want.  Now,  gentlemen,"  and,  joyously  as  a 
schoolboy  rushing  to  a  ball  game,  he  faced  the  des- 
peradoes, "Jim  Bowie  is  ready.  Come  one  at  a 
time,  or  come  all  together,  as  you  wish,"  and  the 
terrible  knife  and  the  more  terrible  eyes  of  Jim 
Bowie  flashed  into  the  faces  of  the  mob. 

"Bowie !  It's  Jim  Bowie !  I  ain't  wanting  none 
to  commit  suicide !"  and  the  man  directly  in  front  of 
Bowie  started  back,  his  appetite  for  fighting  sud- 
denly vanishing  at  the  sight  of  that  long  knife  in 
the  grip  of  its  redoubtable  owner ;  and  back  of  him 
the  others  paused,  the  dread  name  of  Bowie  sending 
a  chill  even  to  their  hot  blood.  They  knew  that  the 
first  two  or  three  men  to  come  within  reach  of  his 
knife  were  sure  to  be  killed,  although  the  others 
might  conquer  him,  but  they  were  not  of  the  breed 
from  which  martyrs  spring. 

Crockett  and  the  two  boys,  at  the  warning  words 
of  Bowie,  whirled  swiftly  about,  and  they  were  just 
in  time;  for  the  arms  of  the  three  Mexicans  were  al- 
ready raised  to  make  that  fatal  cloak-throw,  which 
would  have  rendered  them  helpless  long  enough  for 


200          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

their  enemies  to  rush  in  and  overpower  them.  But, 
with  three  knives  and  as  many  pistols  suddenly 
thrust  into  their  faces,  the  courage  of  the  Mexicans 
vanished,  and  they  slunk  back  into  the  glowering 
crowd. 

"Don't  shoot  unless  you've  got  to,"  Crockett 
warned  Trav  and  Tom.  "Even  Greaser  blood  ain't 
sweet  smelling  on  one's  hands ;  and  I  reckon  we  four 
are  men  enough  to  beat  off  this  cowardly  gang  of 
renegades  and  Greasers.  Not  one  of  them  dares 
to  come  within  reach  of  our  knives.  Is  it  for  the 
door,  Jim,  or  shall  we  clean  out  this  pesky  nest  of 
Greaser  skunks  first?"  he  said  in  a  low  voice  to 
Bowie,  who  stood  back  to  his  back. 

"Make  slowly  for  the  door  with  the  boys,  Davy," 
Bowie  answered,  his  eyes  never  for  an  instant  leav- 
ing the  faces  of  the  men  in  front  of  him.  "We  must 
get  them  out  of  this.  I  will  guard  your  rear. 
Don't  shoot,  if  you  can  help  it.  Trust  to  the  knife. 
But,  if  there  is  any  shooting  to  be  done,  be  the  first 
to  pull  the  trigger.  What,  gentlemen,  is  there  no 
one  among  you  bold  enough  to  cross  knives  with 
Jim  Bowie  ?  Then,  two  of  you,  three  of  you,  all  of 
you !  Cowards !  Skunks ! — " 

"Shoot  the  barking  cur!"  cried  someone  back  in 
the  crowd. 

"Shoot !"  echoed  other  voices  from  different  parts 
of  the  room,  and  pistols  began  clicking. 

"Aye,  shoot,  shoot  I"  raged  Bowie.    "Shoot,  you 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff          201 

pack  of  cowards,  shoot  the  man  you  are  not  man 
enough  to  face  knife  to  knife !  Shoot — " 

A  pistol  shot  rang  out,  and  Bowie  staggered  back, 
only  to  instantly  straighten  up,  with  a  red  mark 
showing  across  his  forehead,  while  from  the  other 
side  of  the  room  a  shriek  was  heard,  telling  where 
the  bullet  had  struck  with  deadlier  effect. 

At  this  moment  Trav  uttered  an  exclamation,  and 
pointed  with  his  knife  toward  a  group  of  Mexicans 
that  had  gathered  near  the  doorway. 

"Look,  Davy,  look!  There  by  the  doorway!"  he 
cried  excitedly.  "That  man  with  his  right  arm  in 
a  sling!  That  is  Vasquez!  I  am  sure  it  is  Vas- 
quez!" 

"So  it  is,  the  pesky  skunk,"  and  Crockett's  eyes 
flamed.  "Now,  by  the  great  father  of  all  bears,  I'm 
for  getting  him,  Greasers  or  no  Greasers !  Come !" 
and  with  a  yell  that  nearly  split  the  ceiling,  Crockett 
leaped  straight  toward  Vasquez,  followed  by  Trav 
and  Tom  and  Bowie,  whose  keen  eyes  had  quickly 
taken  in  the  situation,  all  yelling  like  madmen. 

Insane  as  the  act  seemed  it  was  probably  the  wis- 
est thing  they  could  have  done;  for  that  sudden 
onslaught  of  yelling  American  manhood  and  flash- 
ing steel  was  more  than  Mexican  flesh  and  blood 
could  stand,  and,  as  Davy  Crockett  afterwards  said, 
they  "broke  like  a  gang  of  scart  steers,  and  went 
out  of  doors  and  windows  in  flying  jumps." 

As  for  Vasquez,  one  glimpse  of  Davy  Crockett 


202          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

leaping  toward  him  was  enough  to  put  springs  into 
his  every  muscle;  and,  without  stopping  for  the 
door,  he  made  a  frantic  jump  for  a  window,  and 
went  through  glass  and  sash  and  all,  and  plunged 
madly  down  a  dark  alley,  where  he  vanished  like  a 
chased  rat  in  a  lumber-yard. 

Trav  and  Tom  could  never  tell  just  how  they  got 
out  of  that  dance-hall.  In  front  of  them,  for  a  min- 
ute or  two,  there  had  been  a  shrieking  jumble  of 
screaming  Mexicans,  tumbling  over  themselves  in 
their  haste  to  get  out  of  the  reach  of  the  knives  of 
the  mad  Americanos;  and  then,  suddenly,  they 
found  themselves  outside  of  the  building,  sur- 
rounded by  Texan  soldiers,  with  Lieutenant  Dick- 
inson inquiring  excitedly  of  Davy  Crockett  and 
Bowie  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  terrified  Mex- 
icans fleeing  madly  up  and  down  the  street.  In 
another  minute  every  Mexican  had  vanished,  and 
every  light  had  been  put  out,  and  our  friends  and 
the  Texans  stood  alone  in  the  dark  street. 

"If  it  hadn't  a-been  for  that  window,  I'd  have  got 
that  darned  skunk,  sure/'  Crockett  complained,  as 
he  stood  glaring  up  and  down  the  dark  and  empty 
street.  But,  crash — bang,  like  a  mad  steer  going 
through  a  tin  shop,  out  of  the  window  he  went,  with 
a  dozen  other  Greasers  tumbling  after  him,  and, 
when  I  got  there,  all  I  could  see  was  the  flap  of  his 
coat  tail,  as  he  dove  into  a  dark  alley.  But,  how 
happens  you  and  them  soldiers  to  be  here?"  and  he 
turned  to  Lieutenant  Dickinson. 


Crockett  Calls  Big  Ike's  Bluff          203 

"Because,"  smiled  the  lieutenant,  "Colonel  Travis 
was  wise  enough  to  know  that  it  wasn't  safe — for 
the  Mexicans,  I  mean — to  turn  you  and  Bowie  loose 
among  a  lot  of  Greasers ;  and  so  he  ordered  me  to 
take  a  dozen  men  and  follow  on  behind  you,  to  see, 
if  any  trouble  began,  that  you  didn't  completely  de- 
populate the  town.  Hope  you  spared  the  aged  and 
the  women  and  children,"  and  he  glanced  toward 
the  now  silent  and  dark  dance-hall. 

"It  won't  much  of  a  fight,"  and  Bowie's  eyes  fol- 
lowed the  lieutenant's  regretfully.  "Just  began  to 
smell  like  as  if  it  was  going  to  be  a  hot  one,  when 
Davy  knocked  the  fat  all  into  the  fire.  'Twont  do 
to  yell  like  you  did  in  there,  Davy,  if  you  want  to 
get  within  knifing  distance  of  a  Greaser.  And  just 
as  the  scrimmage  began  to  look  promising,  mighty 
promising!"  lamented  this  remarkable  man,  who 
looked  upon  a  chance  to  fight  much  as  a  small  boy 
does  on  an  admission  to  a  circus.  "Now,  I  reckon, 
there's  nothing  else  for  us  to  do  but  to  trot  back  to 
quarters.  Every  Greaser  has  fled  to  his  hole,  and 
'twould  be  worse  than  hunting  skunks  to  get  them 
out." 

Bowie  was  right.  There  was  nothing  else  to  do 
now,  but  "to  trot  back  to  quarters" ;  and,  less  than 
an  hour  later,  Tom  and  Trav  were  both  sound 
asleep  on  the  hard  stone  floor  of  their  little  room 
in  the  Priest's  House. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  FLIGHT  BY  NIGHT 

COR  a  week  Sam  McNelly's  wound  obliged  him 
to  remain  inactive  under  the  hospitable  roof  of 
Lieutenant  Dickinson.  But,  by  the  end  of  that 
time,  the  loving  care  of  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty, 
and  the  skilled  nursing  of  the  generous-hearted  Mrs. 
Dickinson,  aided  by  the  rugged  constitution  of  the 
hardy  settler,  had  wrought  wonders;  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  eighth  day  the  surgeon  declared  him 
"fit  for  a  scrimmage  with  anything  from  a  bobcat 
to  an  elephant,"  and  laughingly  discharged  him 
from  what  he  called  the  Dickinson  Hospital. 

During  this  convalescing  of  Sam  McNelly  Trav 
and  Tom  enjoyed  themselves  immensely.  They  be- 
came acquainted  with  every  soldier  in  the  garrison ; 
and  there  was  not  one  among  them  who  was  not 
worth  the  acquaintance  of  any  boy.  True,  they 
were  rough  men,  rough  in  their  manners  and  rough 
in  their  speech;  but  every  one  of  them  was  brave 
and  loyal,  the  kind  of  a  man  who  would  die  for  a 
friend  or  his  country,  without  a  grumble  or  a 
thought  that  he  was  doing  anything  heroic  or  out 
of  the  ordinary  but  just  the  "square  thing." 

All  of  them  had  "done  things,"  as  Trav  expressed 

204 


The  Flight  By  Night  205 

it,  had  fought  Indians,  or  desperadoes,  or  Mexicans, 
had  hunted  bears  and  buffaloes,  had  witnessed 
strange  and  fearsome  scenes  in  the  lonely  forests 
and  on  the  vast  plains;  and  when  the  darkness  of 
night  came,  and  the  camp-fires  glowed  ruddily,  and 
these  doers  of  deeds  gathered  around  their  red  coals 
and  began  telling  tales  out  of  their  wild  and  adven- 
turous lives,  the  two  boys  would  sit  and  listen  with 
breathless  interest  until  the  last  camp-fire  had  died 
down  and  the  last  story-teller  had  rolled  himself  up 
in  his  blanket  and  had  gone  to  sleep.  And,  on  one 
never-to-be-forgotten  night,  for  three  hours,  they 
had  sat  and  harkened  entranced,  while  Jim  Bowie 
and  Davy  Crockett  and  Colonel  Travis  pictured  to 
one  another  the  times  when  each  thought  death  had 
got  the  strangle-hold  and  was  about  to  throw  him 
on  his  back.  Think  of  it,  boys,  to  sit  and  listen  for 
three  hours,  while  three  such  men  tell  of  the  most 
exciting  and  thrilling  experiences  in  all  their  ad- 
venture-crowded lives! 

Then  the  days  had  been  crowded,  every  one  of 
them,  with  interesting  scenes  and  experiences. 
Sometimes  they  wandered  about  through  the  streets 
of  the  queer  little  Old-World  town,  but  never  alone, 
always  they  had  the  company  of  some  of  their  sol- 
dier friends,  to  guard  against  any  devilment  on  the 
part  of  Vasquez  or  his  friends.  One  day  they  ac- 
companied Colonel  Travis  and  Bowie  and  Davy 
Crockett  on  a  visit  to  the  quaint  old  mission-fort 
known  as  The  Alamo,  shortly  to  be  made  world 


206  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

famous  by  the  heroism  of  these  very  men,  situated 
just  outside  the  town  across  the  San  Antonio  River. 

"Here  is  where  we  must  defy  Santa  Anna,  if  he 
comes,"  Colonel  Travis  said,  as  they  stood  on  the 
parapet  of  the  Tower  Room  and  looked  down  on  the 
thick  walls  of  the  old  monastery  and  church,  where, 
in  the  days  even  then  long  past,  the  Spanish  friars 
had  vainly  sought  to  drive  the  wild  tribes  of  the 
surrounding  Indians  into  the  Catholic  fold.  "It  is 
the  strongest  position  at  our  command ;  and,  few  as 
we  are,  from  behind  its  thick  walls  we  can  give  a 
good  account  of  ourselves,  if  necessary,  to  Santa 
Anna  and  his  thousands;  and,  if  Fannin  and  his 
four  hundred  men  should  come,  I  am  sure  we  could 
hold  it  against  any  force  Santa  Anna  can  bring 
against  us,"  and  again,  as  often  he  had  done  during 
the  past  week  and  was  often  to  do  in  the  days  to 
come,  Colonel  Travis  turned  his  eyes  eastward  long- 
ingly in  the  direction  of  Goliad. 

"No  use  counting  on  Fannin,  Colonel,"  Bowie 
answered  impatiently.  "With  Governor  Smith  and 
General  Houston  pulling  one  way  and  the  Honor- 
able Council  pulling  the  other,  and  both  issuing  con- 
tradictory orders  or  no  orders  at  all,  Fannin  is  left 
to  do  his  own  ordering;  and,  if  I  know  the  man,  he 
won't  be  able  to  make  up  his  mind  what  is  the  wisest 
thing  to  do,  until  it  will  be  too  late  for  us,  and 
maybe  for  himself.  Fannin  is  as  brave  a  man  as 
ever  lived,  but  he  is  cursed  with  acute  indecision. 
No,  I  reckon,  Colonel,  we've  just  got  to  depend  on 


The  Flight  By  Night  207 

ourselves  alone;  and  I,  for  one,  am  not  mourning 
over  it.  The  greater  the  odds,  the  greater  the  ex- 
citement and  glory,"  and  this  strange  man  actually 
smiled,  and  looked  southward  toward  Mexico,  in- 
stead of  eastward  toward  Goliad,  as  if  he  were  long- 
ing for  the  appearance  of  Santa  Anna  and  his  army, 
while  his  haggard  face — the  sickness  that  in  a  few 
days  compelled  him  to  take  to  his  bed  was  already 
in  his  blood —  lighted  and  the  gray  eyes  glittered. 

"Second  that  look,  Jim,"  Crockett  laughed,  as  he 
noted  the  direction  of  Bowie's  eyes.  "Betsey  and  I 
are  getting  mighty  anxious,  too,  for  a  sight  of  that 
World  Shaker,  Santa  Anna ;  but,  I  reckon,  we  could 
shake  the  shaker  just  a  little  harder  if  we  had  Fan- 
nin's  four  hundred  with  us,  and  still  get  our  bellies 
full  of  excitement  and  glory.  Howsomever,  Fan- 
nin  or  no  Fannin,  I  calculate  we  can  make  a  noise 
like  Waterloo  to  this  upstart  Napoleon  of  the 
West." 

"We  will  make  victory  more  costly  to  him  than 
defeat,"  Travis  declared,  as  he  led  the  way  down 
from  the  parapet  and  into  the  monastery  building. 
"With  these  thick  walls  to  protect  us  we  can  make 
him  pay  dearly  for  every  drop  of  Texas  blood  that 
he  sheds." 

Prophetic  words ! 

The  buildings  of  the  old  church  and  monastery 
greatly  interested  Trav  and  Tom,  as  with  boyish 
eagerness  and  curiosity  they  wandered  about 
through  them,  while  the  three  men  apprized  their 


208  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

value  as  a  fortification  and  planned  how  best  to  de- 
fend them,  in  case  of  need. 

Then  there  were  the  happy  hours  spent  with 
Kitty  and  "Tootsey"  Dickinson  inside  the  barracks. 
Indeed,  there  was  not  a  waking  hour  of  the  whole 
time  when  Trav  and  Tom  were  not  enjoying  them- 
selves ;  and,  consequently,  when,  on  the  evening  of 
the  day  Sam  McNelly  was  declared  fit  again  for  the 
hardships  and  dangers  of  travel,  the  two  boys  were 
told  that  early  the  next  morning  they  would  start 
for  Goliad,  on  their  way  back  to  the  little  log  cabin 
now  so  long  deserted,  they  received  the  information 
with  the  greatest  sorrow  and  even  begged  that  they 
be  allowed  to  remain  with  the  little  garrison  to  fight 
Santa  Anna  and  his  army,  when  they  came.  But 
Colonel  Travis  himself  at  once  put  an  end  to  these 
pleadings  of  boyish  enthusiasm  and  patriotism,  by 
absolutely  refusing  to  permit  Trav  and  Tom  to  join 
his  little  company  of  heroes. 

"Your  duty,  my  brave  lad,"  he  said,  when  Trav 
appealed  to  him,  "is  not  here,  but  by  the  side  of  your 
mother  and  sister.  They  will  need  your  protection 
on  the  way  home,  they  will  need  it  after  they  reach 
home;  for  I  understand  that  both  your  fathers/' 
and  he  glanced  toward  Tom,  "will  hasten  to  join 
General  Houston's  army,  as  soon  as  they  have  Mrs. 
McNelly  and  Kitty  safe  at  home  again,  and  will 
leave  you  boys  in  charge  of  their  homes.  That,  my 
brave  lads,  is  where  your  present  duty  lies,"  and, 


The  Flight  By  Night  209 

with  a  smile,  he  absolutely  refused  to  listen  to  an- 
other word  of  their  pleadings  to  be  left  with  the 
little  garrison  in  San  Antonio.  So  Trav  and  Tom 
were  compelled  to  give  up  all  hope  of  taking  part  in 
the  great  fight  that  even  the  terrible  Bowie  declared 
would  be  the  fight  of  his  life. 

During  this  talk  of  the  boys  with  Colonel  Travis, 
Sam  McNelly  and  Davy  Crockett  had  quietly 
slipped  to  one  side,  where  they  would  be  out  of  hear- 
ing of  the  others. 

"Colonel  Travis  tells  me,  Davy,"  Sam  McNelly 
said,  the  moment  they  were  alone,  "that  you've 
about  made  up  your  mind  to  stop  here  and  fight 
Santa  Anna  and  his  Greasers  along  with  the  rest 
of  the  boys,"  and  he  looked  inquiringly  into  his 
friend's  face. 

"Yes,  that's  mighty  nigh  right,"  Crockett  an- 
swered slowly,  "only,  instead  of  'about  made  up/ 
the  colonel  should  have  said  'pointedly  made  up/ 
I  don't  believe  there  is  another  spot  in  all  creation 
where  Davy  Crockett  and  Betsey  can  do  as  much 
good  now,  as  right  here,  and  it's  my  pluck  to  stay. 
Makes  me  feel  savage  as  a  meat  axe  every  time  I 
think  of  Santa  Anna  turning  loose  his  Greaser 
hordes  on  them  defenseless  women  and  children 
back  there  in  the  settlements,  and  Betsey  and  I've 
just  got  to  stop  and  argue  some  with  him  before  he 
does  it.  For  just  one  fair  crack  at  that  rascal,  I'd 
bargain  to  break  my  Betsey  and  never  pull  trigger 


2io  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

again ;  and  maybe  I'll  get  it,  maybe  I'll  get  it,"  and 
the  lines  on  Crockett's  face  hardened  and  his  eyes 
glinted  savagely. 

"But,  Davy,  there's  no  hope  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men  stopping  an  army  long,  even  an  army  of 
Greasers;  and — and — "  Sam  McNelly  hesitated, 
"I've  heard  that  Santa  Anna  is  going  to  give  no 
quarter  to  anyone  found  with  a  gun  in  his  hands 
and  shooting  it  toward  a  Greaser.  Better  go  back 
to  Goliad  with  us,  Davy.  Kitty-Cat  and  Mother 
Jane  want  you  to.  They'd  feel  a  mighty  sight 
safer,  if  you  was  along;  and  there's  no  telling  what 
devilment  that  Greaser,  Vasquez,  will  be  up  to. 
Better  come  back  with  us,  and  join  General  Hous- 
ton's army  along  with  Jonas  and  me.  I  reckon 
we'll  get  our  bellies  full  of  fighting  under  old  Sam 
Houston.  You'll  come,  won't  you,  Davy?"  and 
there  was  just  a  touch  of  wistfulness  in  the  big 
settler's  voice. 

"No,  Sam,  I'm  going  to  stay.  'Tain't  my  way 
to  right-about-face  before  a  danger,  especially  when 
I'm  between  it  and  women  and  children.  I  reckon 
I  know  what  you're  thinking,  Sam,  that  this  is  a 
sort  of  a  forlorn  hope,  that  the  chances  are  that 
Santa  Anna  will  get  the  scalps  of  all  of  us;  but, 
now,  honest  Injun,  Sam,  is  that  any  reason  why 
Davy  Crockett  should  not  stay?" 

"No,  no,  Davy,"  and  the  big  fist  of  the  settler 
gripped  Crockett's  hand.  "It's  the  brave  thing  to 
do;  but — well,  I  can't  talk  about  it,"  and  he  wrung 


The  Flight  By  Night  211 

the  hand  he  held.  "I'd  stay  with  you,  if  'twon't 
for  Kitty  and  her  mother.  They've  got  to  be  away 
from  here  before  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  comes. 
I  know  you  understand,  Davy/' 

"Indeed  and  I  do;  and  I  know  there  is  not  a 
drop  of  cowardly  blood  in  all  your  big  body,  that  it 
is  harder  for  you  to  go  than  to  stay — But — " 
Crockett's  eyes  caught  sight  of  the  weather-beaten 
face  of  a  man  hurrying  to  where  Colonel  Travis 
stood — "there  is  one  of  the  hunters  Travis  sent  out 
a  couple  of  days  ago,  and  he  looks  as  if  he  had 
news  to  tell.  Come,  let's  see  what  it  is  about,"  and 
the  two  men  made  haste  to  join  the  little  group  that 
had  already  gathered  round  Colonel  Travis  and  the 
hunter. 

The  moment  Colonel  Travis  saw  Sam  McNelly 
he  turned  quickly  to  him. 

"Sam,"  he  said,  his  eyes  glinting  brightly,  "Santa 
Anna  is  almost  upon  us.  You  must  start  for  Goliad 
at  once,  this  very  night.  To-morrow  morning 
might  be  too  late.  Long  Hank,"  and  he  nodded 
toward  the  hunter,  "reports  that  he  met  some  In- 
dians on  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Frio,  who  told  him 
that  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  crossed  the  Neuces 
two  or  three  days  ago,  and  were  headed  straight  for 
San  Antonio.  If  the  Indians  told  the  truth,  the  ad- 
vance guards  of  the  Mexican  army  might  be  even 
now  closing  in  around  us ;  and,  for  the  sake  of  your 
wife  and  child,  you  had  better  start  at  once,  under 
cover  of  the  night.  I  will  send  Colonel  Bonham, 


212          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

with  letters  to  Fannin,  along  with  you.  He  knows 
the  trail,  and  will  get  you  there  safely,  if  any  man 
can.  Lieutenant  Dickinson,"  and  he  turned  to  the 
young  officer,  "you  had  better  send  Mrs.  Dickinson 
and  the  baby  with  them.  This  will  soon  be  no 
place  for  a  woman  and  child." 

All  was  now  excitement  in  the  little  garrison. 
Sam  McNelly  and  the  two  boys  at  once  hurried  to 
the  quarters  of  Lieutenant  Dickinson  to  apprise 
Kitty  and  her  mother  of  the  sudden  change  in  their 
plans  and  to  assist  them  in  getting  ready,  followed 
by  the  young  officer,  white  of  face  and  determined 
to  let  no  selfish  love  stand  between  him  and  the 
safety  of  his  wife  and  baby.  Jonas  Gifford  and 
Colonel  Bonham,  aided  by  the  willing  hands  of 
officers  and  men,  immediately  set  about  saddling 
the  horses,  packing  the  blankets  and  provisions, 
and  getting  everything  in  readiness  for  the  start. 
A  dozen  scouts  were  sent  out  in  every  direction  to 
see  if  they  could  discover  any  signs  of  the  Mexican 
army. 

Mrs.  Dickinson  listened  to  the  words  of  her  hus- 
band, urging  her  to  leave  San  Antonio  with  Mrs. 
McNelly,  with  whitening  cheeks  and  tightening  lips. 

"I  cannot  go,  I  cannot  go  and  leave  you,  and 
leave  these  other  men,  the  sick  and  wounded,"  she 
cried.  "Women  have  duties  as  well  as  men;  and 
my  duty  tells  me  that  my  place  is  by  my  husband's 
side  in  his  hours  of  peril,  is  here  to  care  for  the  sick 
and  the  wounded,  and  here  I  am  going  to  stay, 


The  Flight  By  Night  213 

Santa  Anna  or  no  Santa  Anna,  as  long  as  you 
stay,"  and  from  this  resolution  the  pleadings  of  her 
husband,  the  commands  of  Colonel  Travis,  were 
vain  to  move  her. 

In  an  hour  all  was  ready  for  the  start;  and  our 
friends  stood  by  the  sides  of  their  horses  saying 
their  farewells  to  these  gallant  men,  to  the  even 
more  gallant  woman,  who  had  so  nobly  chosen  to 
remain  with  her  husband,  knowing  that  that  choice 
might  mean  death. 

Colonel  Travis  was  deeply  affected.  There  were 
tears  in  his  eyes  when  he  said  his  farewells  to  Mrs. 
McNelly  and  Kitty ;  and,  when  he  grasped  the  great 
hand  of  Sam  McNelly,  he  whispered  low:  "Sam, 
God  alone  knows  the  future;  but — if — if — if  I 
should  fall  here,  give  these  to  my  wife  and  boy/' 
and  he  dropped  into  the  hand  of  the  settler  his 
watch  and  large  seal  ring.  "She  will  understand, 
she  will  know  all  that  I  should  like  to  say  now, 
but  can't  put  into  words.  God  bless  them!  God 
protect  them!  Get  word  to  General  Houston  of 
our  condition  here  as  speedily  as  possible.  Urge 
Fannin  to  come  immediately  to  our  rescue.  Tell 
all  that  we  will  hold  the  place  as  long  as  there  is 
a  man  left  to  pull  a  trigger  or  grip  a  knife,  that  we 
will  never  surrender.  Good-by,"  and,  with  a  final 
pressure  of  the  great  hand,  he  turned  away. 

For  a  minute,  before  saying  his  good-bys,  Davy 
Crockett  stepped  aside  into  the  dark  shadows  of  a 
building.  He  appeared  to  be  having  some  trouble 


214          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

with  his  throat  and  eyes,  for  he  swallowed  hard  a 
number  gf  times  and  brushed  his  hand  across  his 
eyes  once  or  twice.  Then,  with  a  final  gulp,  he 
straightened  up  and  stepped  to  where  Trav  and 
Tom  stood  beside  their  horses. 

"Well,  boys,"  he  said,  extending  a  hand  to  each, 
his  face  breaking  into  a  broad  smile,  "I'm  mighty 
sorry  you  can't  stop  to  see  the  great  performance 
called,  Knocking  The  Conceit  Out  Of  Santa  Anna, 
The  Napoleon  Of  The  West;  Or,  Twisting  The 
Tail  Of  The  Great  Mexican  Monkey,  accompanied 
by  the  lightning  and  thunder  of  the  cannon's  flash 
and  crash  and  a  rain  of  bullets,  the  greatest  spec- 
tacle of  modern  times;  but  I'll  give  you  a  full  his- 
tory of  the  glorious  performance  the  next  time  we 
meet.  Now/'  and  the  hand-grip  tightened,  "it's 
good-by  for  a  spell.  Be  mighty  careful  of  Kitty- 
Cat  and  Mother  Jane ;  and,  if  you  get  a  sight  of  that 
Greaser,  Vasquez,  shoot  him  as  quick  as  you  would 
a  rattlesnake."  For  a  moment  he  stood  gripping 
the  two  hands  of  the  boys  in  silence  and  looking 
steadfastly  into  their  eyes,  his  face  sobering. 
"Lads,"  he  continued,  "this  at  best  is  a  mighty 
uncertain  world,  for,  as  the  good  book  says,  To-day 
we  are  and  to-morrow  we  ain't';  and,  if  it  should 
happen  that  we  should  never  meet  again,  just  re- 
member Davy  Crockett  found,  'Be  sure  you're  right, 
then  go  ahead/  a  mighty  good  motto  to  live  by,  and 
to  die  by,"  he  added  in  a  lower  voice — "Shucks!" 
and  the  jovial  grin  came  back  on  his  face,  "if  Davy 


The  Flight  By  Night  215 

Crockett  ain't  getting  as  sentimental  as  a  school- 
girl. Of  course  we'll  meet  again,  and  like  as  not 
I'll  have  Santa  Anna's  scalp-lock  dangling  from 
my  belt,"  and,  with  a  final  hand-squeeze  and  a  word 
of  farewell,  he  turned  to  where  Kitty  and  her 
mother  stood. 

"Kitty-Cat,"  and  Crockett  caught  the  little  hand 
held  out  to  him  in  both  of  his,  "you'll  find  them 
two  bearskins  I  promised  you  on  the  floor  of  the 
cabin,  and  one  of  them  is  a  whopper.  Always 
keep  the  big  one,  just  to  remember  your  old  friend 
Davy  Crockett,  who  hopes  you'll  grow  up  into  as 
good  a  woman  as  your  mother  and  marry  as  good 
a  man  as  your  father.  Now,  for  the  good-by  kiss, 
Kitty-Cat—" 

"But,"  and  Kitty  dropped  Crockett's  hands  and 
threw  her  arms  around  his  neck,  "I  don't  want  to 
say  good-by.  I  don't  want  you  to  stay  here  to 
fight  Santa  Anna  and  get  killed.  I  want  you  to 
go  with  us.  I  want  you  to  go  with  us,"  she  re- 
peated with  all  the  insistent  pertinacity  of  youth. 
"I  know,  I've  heard  papa  and  Colonel  Travis  and 
Bowie  talk,  I  know  you'll  be  killed,  if  you  stay, 
and  I  shall  never  see  you  again.  You  saved  my 
life,  you  rescued  me  from  that  wicked  Mexican, 
and  I  want  you  to  go  home  with  us  so  that  I  can 
show  you  how  much  I  love  you.  You  must  come, 
Davy.  You  must  not  stay  here  to  be  killed,"  and 
she  dung  to  him,  her  arms  around  his  neck  and  the 
tears  running  down  her  cheeks. 


216  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Shucks,  Kitty-Cat,"  and  Crockett  kissed  the 
tear-stained  cheeks  and  began  gently  unloosening 
the  arms  around  his  neck,  "one  would  think  to  hear 
you  talk  that  'twas  certain  death  to  face  that  old 
Mexican  wind-bag,  Santa  Anna.  Why,  'twon't  be 
nothing  much  more  than  a  big  Fourth  of  July  cel- 
ebration, with  lots  of  banging  and  yelling  and  other 
noises;  and  then  you'll  see  Santa  Anna  and  his 
Greasers  streaking  it  like  all  wrath  for  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  I'll  come  round  and  have  a  good  laugh 
with  you  over  your  scare,  wish  I  may  be  shot,  if  I 
don't,  just  as  soon  as  I've  helped  the  boys  lick  the 
hide  off  Santa  Anna.  Now,  we  mustn't  keep  your 
dad  waiting.  Good-by,  Kitty-Cat,  sweetheart,"  and 
Crockett,  with  a  last  hug  and  kiss,  swung  Kitty 
upon  her  horse,  and  turned  quickly  away. 

The  other  good-bys  were  soon  said.  Between 
the  men  it  was  a  warm  clasp  of  the  hand,  a  search- 
ing look  into  the  eyes,  a  cheery  word  of  farewell, 
and,  maybe,  a  low-whispered  message  to  some  dear 
one.  That  was  all;  and  that  was  all  these  stern 
men  would  have  said  or  done  had  they  absolutely 
known  that  fate  had  already  decreed  that  those 
who  remained,  remained  to  meet  death.  But,  when 
Mrs.  Dickinson  lifted  the  baby  up  for  the  farewell 
kiss,  the  tears  came  into  the  eyes  of  Trav  and  Tom 
and  their  voices  choked,  and  Mrs.  McNelly  and 
Kitty  sobbed  aloud,  and  implored  her  to  come  with 
them ;  but  the  heroic  woman  again  refused,  faithful 
to  the  end  to  her  duty  and  her  husband. 


The  Flight  By  Night  217 

"All  a-horseback  for  Goliad!"  cried  Big  Sam 
McNelly,  anxious  to  cut  short  these  distressing 
scenes  of  parting,  and,  springing  into  his  saddle, 
he  gave  the  word  to  start. 

The  little  cavalcade  rode  slowly  out  of  the  Plaza 
de  Armas,  past  the  last  line  of  Texan  sentries,  and 
entered  one  of  the  dark  narrow  streets  leading  out 
of  the  town  toward  Goliad. 

Trav  and  Tom  and  Kitty,  as  they  passed  into  the 
darkness  of  the  street,  turned  in  their  saddles  for 
a  last  look;  and  saw,  illuminated  by  the  ruddy  light 
of  a  great  camp-fire,  Davy  Crockett  and  Jim  Bowie 
and  Colonel  Travis,  standing  tall  and  grim  side  by 
side,  and  back  of  them  the  hardy,  roughly-dressed 
forms  of  the  Texan  soldiers,  leaning  on  their  long- 
barreled  rifles,  all  showing  distinctly  in  the  bright 
firelight  against  the  black  background  of  the  night 
and  the  dark  shadows  of  the  frowning  fronts  of 
the  barrack  buildings.  Then  the  street  made  an 
abrupt  turn,  and  the  picture  vanished,  and  our 
friends  rode  on,  leaving  behind  them  the  tall  form 
and  genial  face  of  Davy  Crockett  and  his  dauntless 
comrades — as  gallant  a  band  of  heroes  as  ever 
bravely  faced  overwhelming  odds  in  all  the  world's 
history. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  BOOMING  OF  THE  CANNON 

/""^OLIAD,  or  La  Bahia,  as  the  town  was  then 
^— *  frequently  called  from  the  mission  of  that 
name  established  near  there  by  the  Spaniards,  is 
situated  on  the  San  Antonio  River  some  ninety 
miles  southeast  of  the  town  of  San  Antonio.  Here 
Colonel  J.  W.  Fannin,  a  soldier  trained  at  West 
Point,  had  gathered  an  army  of  four  hundred  men 
to  repel  the  expected  invasion  of  Santa  Anna ;  and, 
on  account  of  this  little  Texan  army,  Colonel  Travis 
and  Bowie  thought  it  would  be  safer  for  our  friends 
to  return  to  their  homes  by  way  of  Goliad,  where,  if 
it  was  found  that  the  surrounding  country  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Mexicans,  they  could  remain  under 
the  protection  of  Fannin,  or  secure  an  escort  from 
him  through  the  danger  zone. 

The  trail  from  San  Antonio  to  Goliad,  followed 
the  waters  of  the  San  Antonio  River  as  nearly  as 
possible,  and  ran  through  vast  primeval  forests,  as 
yet  unscarred  by  the  axe  of  man,  over  the  rocky  tops 
of  rugged  heights  and  more  gently  sloping  hills, 
across  great  plains,  ungrazed  except  by  nature's 
cattle,  winding  tortuously  through  the  wooded  and 
rocky  parts,  going  straight  ahead  across  the  plains, 

218 


The  Booming  of  the  Cannon  219 

passing  sometimes  within  hearing  distance  of  the 
murmuring  waters  of  the  river  and  again  a  mile 
or  more  away,  but  always  seeking  the  least  difficult 
route  for  horse  and  man  to  travel  from  starting 
point  to  destination.  Such  was  the  road  that  lay 
before  our  friends,  when  they  had  left  the  last 
flickering  light  and  barking  dog  of  San  Antonio 
behind  them  and  turned  their  faces  southward  to- 
ward Goliad. 

The  night  was  cloudless,  and  a  crescent  moon 
hung  in  the  clear  skies,  giving  sufficient  light  to 
enable  them  to  see  their  way  clearly.  For  the  first 
two  or  three  hours  they  rode  slowly  and  with  great 
caution,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  in  every  direction. 
There  might  be  detachments  of  Santa  Anna's 
scouts  guarding  the  trail  or  camped  along  the  river, 
and  there  was  the  vengeful  Vasquez,  who  might 
have  learned  of  their  departure  from  San  Antonio 
and  set  in  motion  some  wicked  scheme  for  their 
undoing.  So  you  see  there  was  an  abundance  of 
threatening  dangers  to  keep  their  wits  on  the  alert 
and  to  cause  the  eyes  of  each  one  of  the  little  party 
to  search  anxiously  the  shadows  of  the  rocks  and 
woods  that  here  and  there  along  the  trail-side  of- 
fered places  of  concealment  and  ambuscade  to  an 
enemy.  But  not  a  sign  of  a  human  being  was  seen, 
nor  a  sound  of  human  origin  heard.  So  far  as 
they  could  observe  they  rode  alone  through  the 
vast  solitudes  of  these  great  forests  and  plains. 

A  little  after  midnight  they  made  a  brief  halt, 


22O  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to  rest  and  feed  their  horses  and  to  appease  their 
own  hunger ;  but  they  dared  build  no  fire,  and  in 
less  than  an  hour  they  were  again  on  their  way, 
riding  more  swiftly  and  with  less  caution  now  that 
San  Antonio  and  its  dangers  had  been  left  so  far 
behind. 

When  morning  dawned  they  again  halted,  this 
time  for  a  couple  of  hours'  rest;  and  then  on  again 
across  the  plains  and  over  the  hills  and  through  the 
forests.  All  that  day,  and  all  of  the  next  day,  they 
rode  steadily  southward,  without  seeing  a  single 
human  being,  Mexican  or  Texan,  other  than  those 
in  their  own  party,  or  even  a  single  large  wild 
animal.  There  was  something  ominous  in  this  ab- 
sence of  human  and  animal  life. 

Old  hunters  and  dwellers  on  the  great  plains  and 
in  the  lonely  forests  say,  that  a  few  hours  before 
the  coming  of  one  of  those  terrible  storms  that 
frequently  sweep  over  these  regions,  the  wild  ani- 
mals may  be  seen  hurrying  to  places  of  shelter, 
knowing  in  some  wonderful  manner  of  the  coming 
of  the  storm  and  fleeing  from  it.  In  some  such 
way  the  premonition  of  the  coming  of  Santa  Anna 
and  his  army  had  affected  the  territory  through 
which  our  friends  were  traveling;  and  man  and 
beast  had  both  fled  before  the  feeling,  shall  we  say 
in  the  air?  of  the  advancing  danger,  and  had  left 
the  region  desolate  of  all  except  the  smaller  forms 
of  animal  life.  And,  indeed,  a  mighty  storm  was 
advancing,  a  storm  of  more  deadly  portent  than 


The  Booming  of  the  Cannon  221 

roaring  thunder  and  flashing  lightning  and  falling 
rain,  the  storm  of  murderous  war. 

Trav  and  Tom  noticed  that  each  morning  at  sun- 
rise Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford  and  Colonel 
Bonham,  would  pause,  no  matter  what  they  were 
doing,  and  appear  to  be  listening  intently  and  anx- 
iously for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  with  a  look  of 
relief  would  resume  their  work.  The  first  morn- 
ing the  boys  wondered  greatly  why  the  men  did 
this,  and  the  second  morning  they  listened  as  in- 
tently as  did  the  men  themselves,  not  knowing  what 
they  were  expected  to  hear ;  but,  on  the  third  morn- 
ing they  understood  the  cause  of  the  anxious  lis- 
tening, when,  booming  through  the  still  morning 
air,  came  the  report  of  a  distant  cannon  from  the 
direction  of  San  Antonio,  and  they  saw  the  faces 
of  the  men  whiten  and  their  jaws  come  together 
tightly. 

"Was  not  that  a  cannon?  What  does  it  mean?" 
Mrs.  McNelly  inquired,  her  blanching  cheeks  telling 
of  the  fear  in  her  heart. 

"Yes,"  Sam  McNelly  answered,  his  face  harden- 
ing, "that  was  a  cannon,  Jane,  and  it  means  war. 
That  was  Colonel  Travis  telling  the  world  that 
the  fight  for  the  Independence  of  Texas  has  begun, 
that  Santa  Anna  and  the  Mexican  army  are  even 
now  before  San  Antonio,  that  Davy  Crockett  and 
all  those  brave  fellows  we  left  behind  may  be  even 
now  fighting  for  their  lives.  That  is  what  that 
cannon  shot  means,  Jane.  Colonel  Travis  promised 


222          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to  fire  a  cannon  at  sunrise  when  the  Mexican  army 
appeared,  and  to  fire  one  every  morning  at  sunrise 
as  long  as  the  fight  continued/' 

All  the  little  company  had  crowded  around  Sam 
McNelly  while  he  had  been  speaking,  anxiety  and 
dread  of  what  might  be  happening  in  the  little  town 
they  had  so  recently  left  showing  on  every  face. 

"Oh,  if  Davy  had  only  come  with  us!"  sobbed 
Kitty.  "I  knew  he  would  be  killed,  if  he  stayed  to 
fight  those  wicked  Mexicans." 

"Never  you  fear,  Kitty,"  Sam  McNelly  declared 
grimly.  "Davy  ain't  dead  yet,  and  he'll  take  a  long 
time  dying.  God  pity  the  Greasers  that  run  up 
against  him  and  that  bunch  of  fighters !" 

"Poor  brave  Mrs.  Dickinson  and  the  baby!" 
grieved  Mrs.  McNelly.  "Seems  'most  as  if  I  could 
feel  those  dear  little  arms  around  my  neck  now." 

"I'll  bet  Colonel  Travis  and  Davy  and  Bowie 
and  the  rest  will  make  them  Mexicans  think  they 
have  run  up  against  something  worse  than  a  billion 
mad  bobcats,"  Trav  asserted,  with  all  a  boy's  con- 
fidence in  the  prowess  of  his  friends.  "My,  but  I 
should  like  to  see  that  fight!" 

"Trav!"  and  his  mother  looked  severely  at  him. 
"That  fight  means  killing,  the  killing  of  our  friends 
as  well  as  our  enemies.  How  can  you  speak  of 
wanting  to  see  such  a  terrible  thing!" 

"I  wasn't  thinking  of  the  killing,  mother,"  Trav 
replied,  the  light  going  out  of  his  eyes  and  the  flush 
in  his  cheeks  whitening.  "I  was  thinking  of  Davy 


The  Booming  of  the  Cannon  223 

and  those  brave  men  defying  and  beating  back 
Santa  Anna  and  the  whole  Mexican  army.  I — I 
would  feel  as  bad  as  anybody,  if  Davy  should  be 
killed,"  and,  in  spite  of  his  utmost  efforts  the  tears 
came  into  his  eyes  and  his  voice  choked. 

"Come,  let  us  hurry  to  Goliad."  There  was  an 
unwonted  hoarseness  in  Big  Sam  McNelly's  voice 
as  he  spoke.  "Fannin  will  surely  go  to  their  help, 
now  that  he  knows  Santa  Anna  has  come,  is  attack- 
ing Travis  in  the  Alamo.  Let  us  hasten  with  the 
news  to  him/'  and  he  sprang  on  the  back  of  his 
horse — they  had  been  standing  near  the  camp-fire ; 
and  a  few  minutes  later  the  little  party  were  hur- 
rying, as  swiftly  as  horses'  legs  could  take  them, 
on  toward  Goliad. 

All  day  long  they  rode,  with  hardly  a  pause,  say- 
ing little,  their  thoughts  on  the  deadly  struggle 
of  the  brave  men  they  had  left  behind  and  the  por- 
tentous news  they  were  bearing  to  Fannin — to  the 
world ;  and,  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  out  of  sight 
behind  their  backs,  they  saw,  reddening  in  the  last 
rays  of  the  dying  sun,  the  old  Spanish  fort  and  mis- 
sion of  Goliad  crowning  a  little  hill,  with  the  squalid 
huts  of  logs  and  mud  of  the  modern  town  strag- 
gling down  its  sides. 

A  half  an  hour  later  they  passed  through  the 
heavy  wooden  doors  of  the  old  mission  church, 
which  was  built  just  within  the  walls  of  the  fortifi- 
cation, and  on  through  the  church  into  the  com- 
pound and  barracks  within,  where  Colonel  Fannin 
had  his  quarters. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
COLONEL  FANNIN'S  COURIERS 

THE  moment  our  little  party  entered  the  walled 
court  in  front  of  the  barracks,  they  were  in- 
stantly surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  excited  officers 
and  men,  clamoring  for  news. 

"Seen  anything  of  Santa  Anna?" — "How  is 
Travis?"— "Are  the  Mexies  coming?"— "Will 
Travis  fight?" — "Got  any  terbacco?"  were  some  of 
the  questions  poured  in  from  every  direction,  faster 
than  they  could  be  answered. 

"Yes,  the  Mexicans  have  come — have  attacked 
Travis.  I  want  Colonel  Fannin  at  once,"  and 
Colonel  Bonham  jumped  from  his  saddle  and 
handed  his  bridle  reins  to  a  soldier. 

"I  am  Colonel  Fannin,"  and  a  soldiery  appearing 
man  stepped  out  from  among  the  officers,  and,  hur- 
rying up  to  Bonham,  gripped  him  by  the  hand. 
"This  is  sorry  news  that  you  bring,  Colonel,  but 
you  and  your  friends  are  heartily  welcome,  never- 
theless." 

"Colonel  Fannin,"  and  the  impulsive  Bonham 
gripped  the  hand  of  Fannin  with  both  of  his, 
"Colonel  Travis  implores  you  to  come  to  his  aid, 
to  the  aid  of  Texas.  He—" 

224 


Colonel  Fannin's  Couriers  225 

"I  know — I  know,"  and  Colonel  Fannin  frowned 
impatiently.  "This  is  not  the  first  message  I  have 
had  from  Colonel  Travis  imploring  me  to  come  to 
his  aid;  and  God  knows  I  would  go  willingly 
enough,  if  I  could.  But,  where  are  the  horses  or 
mules  or  even  oxen  to  transport  my  cannon  and 
other  munitions  of  war?  Where  is  the  food  for 
my  soldiers?  Where  is  the  ammunition  for  their 
guns?  What  good  are  soldiers  without  food  for 
their  bodies  and  food  for  their  guns?" 

"I  don't  know — I  don't  know.  May  be  you're 
doing  the  right  thing.  But,  if  it  was  me,"  and 
Bonham's  face  hardened,  and  his  eyes  glinted,  "I'd 
go,  if  I  had  to  have  my  men  drag  the  cannon,  if  I 
had  to  leave  the  cannon,  if  I  had  but  a  dozen  rounds 
of  ammunition,  if  I  had  to  half  starve  to  get  there, 
I'd  go  before  I'd  leave  Travis  and  his  brave  fel- 
lows back  yonder  at  San  Antonio  to  face  the  whole 
Mexican  army  alone,  to  be  slaughtered  like  hogs  by 
a  horde  of  butchering  Greasers." 

"Correct!" 

"That's  the  kind  of  talk  for  Texans!" 

"On  to  San  Antone!  On  to  the  rescue  of 
Travis!" 

"Death  to  Santa  Anna  and  his  Mexies!" 

"Hurrah  for  Colonel  Bonham !" 

"Liberty  and  Texas  forever !" 

"Forget  the  oxen  and  cannon!  Lead  us  to 
Travis!" 

The  men  who  were  near  enough  to  hear  Bonham 


226          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

were  greatly  moved  by  his  stirring  words,  and  thus 
shouted  their  approval.  Colonel  Fannin  flushed, 
and  the  obstinate  lines  on  his  face  hardened. 

"Those  may  be  the  sentiments  of  a  man,  and  as 
such  they  do  you  credit,"  he  said.  "But  a  soldier 
must  be  governed  by  other  rules  than  those  of  senti- 
ment. It  would  be  worse  than  folly  for  me  use- 
lessly to  sacrifice  all  these  brave  men — But,  come 
with  me,"  and  he  motioned  to  the  three  men,  "where 
we  can  talk  things  over  more  quietly.  I  wish  to 
do  what  is  best,  God  knows  I  wish  to  do  what  is 
best !  Captain  Horton,"  and  he  turned  to  an  officer 
standing  near,  "see  that  the  ladies  have  the  best 
that  our  circumstances  afford.  They  must  be 
greatly  wearied  by  their  long  ride.  Your  pardon, 
ladies,  for  our  poor  accommodations,  but  a  soldier 
fares  but  roughly,"  and,  bowing  to  Mrs.  McNelly 
and  Kitty,  he  turned  and  led  the  way  to  his  quar- 
ters, followed  by  Colonel  Bonham  and  Sam  and 
Jonas  and  a  number  of  his  officers. 

Captain  Horton  at  once  conducted  Kitty  and  her 
mother  to  the  quarters  of  one  of  the  married  officers, 
and  left  them  there  in  charge  of  the  women  folks. 
Trav  and  Tom  were  told  to  make  themselves  at 
home  with  the  soldiers,  which  they  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  do,  and  soon  had  a  circle  of  interested 
men  around  them,  listening  to  the  story  of  their 
adventures  with  Davy  Crockett  and  Bowie  and  the 
other  heroes  with  Travis  at  San  Antonio.  Just  as 
they  had  finished  their  narrative,  and  while  the  men 


Colonel  Fannin's  Couriers  227 

were  still  making  excited  and  characteristic  com- 
ments about  it,  Sam  McNelly  came  out  of  Colonel 
Fannin's  quarters,  and  summoned  Trav.  Both 
boys  arose  quickly  and  hurried  to  where  he  stood 
awaiting  them. 

"Trav,  my  son,"  and  big  Sam  McNelly  laid  a 
hand  on  his  boy's  shoulder,  while  his  eyes  searched 
with  unusual  earnestness  his  face,  "Colonel  Fannin 
wants  to  send  an  express  to  the  Convention,  which 
meets  at  Washington,  on  the  Brazos  River,  March 
the  first.  He  needs  every  fighting  man  in  his  little 
army  right  where  he  now  is;  and  I  told  him  you 
would  carry  his  message." 

Trav's  face  suddenly  flushed  and  lighted  at  these 
words.  At  last  he  was  to  do  something  for  his  be- 
loved Texas ! 

"You  will  start,"  continued  his  father,  his  own 
eyes  kindling  with  pride  at  the  look  he  saw  on  his 
son's  face,  "a  couple  of  hours  before  sunrise  to- 
morrow morning ;  and  go  direct  to  Victoria,  then  to 
Columbus,  and  from  there  to  Washington.  Fresh 
horses  will  be  furnished  you  at  Victoria  and  at  Co- 
lumbus. You — " 

"But,  am  I  not  going,  too?"  Tom  broke  in,  unable 
longer  to  control  his  impatience  at  the  thought  of 
his  being  left  behind.  "Two  heads  are  better  than 
one,  even  if  one  of  them  is  a  fool's,  as  the  old  saying 
is;  and — and,  if  anything  should  happen  to  one  of 
us,  then  the  other  might  get  through  with  the  mes- 
sage; and  'twould  be  awful  lonesome  for  Trav  to 


228          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

ride  all  that  distance  alone.  I  can  go,  can't  I, 
dad  ?"  and  he  turned  eagerly  to  his  father,  who  had 
just  stepped  out  of  Colonel  Fannin's  quarters  and 
was  walking  toward  them. 

Jonas  Gifford  did  not  say  anything  until  he 
reached  Tom's  side,  then  he,  too,  laid  a  hand  on  his 
son's  shoulder  and  looked  earnestly  into  his  face. 

"Yes,  Tom,  you  can  go,"  he  said,  speaking  slowly. 
"For  the  sake  of  Texas,  you  can  go.  Now,  both  of 
you,  come  with  me  to  Colonel  Fannin.  He  has 
some  instructions  that  he  wishes  to  give  you  to- 
night. Then  you  must  both  go  to  bed  at  once,  and 
get  all  the  rest  you  can;  for  you  are  to  start  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  so  as  to  get  out  of  the 
danger  zone  around  Goliad  before  daylight,  if  pos- 
sible," and  he  led  the  way  back  to  where  Colonel 
Fannin  still  sat  in  consultation  with  Colonel  Bon- 
ham  and  his  officers. 

Imagine  the  feelings  of  Trav  and  Tom,  when, 
long  before  the  sun  had  begun  to  redden  the  east 
the  next  morning,  they  stood  by  their  horses'  heads 
in  front  of  Colonel  Fannin's  quarters,  waiting  to 
receive  his  message  and  final  instructions  and  to  say 
their  good-bys,  and  you  will  not  wonder  that  the 
exultation  that  lighted  their  eyes  and  shone  in  their 
faces,  when  they  thought  of  what  they  were  about 
to  do  for  Texas,  was  quickly  tempered  by  the  weight 
of  the  responsibility  thus  suddenly  thrown  upon 
their  young  shoulders  and  the  very  natural  feelings 
of  sorrow  at  parting  with  parents  and  friends  under 


Colonel  Fannin's  Couriers  229 

such  circumstances  of  peril  and  uncertainty.  But 
there  is  no  need  of  my  attempting  to  describe  to 
you  the  feelings  of  the  two  lads,  as  they  stood  there, 
booted  and  spurred  and  ready  to  mount,  in  the  chill 
and  the  darkness  of  the  early  morning.  Just  im- 
agine yourselves  in  their  situation,  boys,  and  then 
you  will  understand  just  how  they  felt  much  more 
clearly  and  vividly  than  the  most  eloquent  pen  could 
tell  you.  Only,  remember,  there  was  not  a  drop 
of  cowardly  or  ignoble  blood  in  their  veins,  and 
that  the  white  in  their  faces  was  not  from  fear,  nor 
the  tears  in  their  eyes,  when  they  said  good-by 
to  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  and  Sam  and  Jonas  and 
the  rest,  from  any  unmanly  weakness. 

At  this  date,  1836,  as  every  boy  who  has  read 
history  and  remembers  what  he  reads  will  know, 
there  was  not  a  foot  of  telegraph  wire  nor  a  rod  of 
railroad  in  all  Texas ;  and,  consequently,  no  swifter 
way  of  sending  a  letter  or  message,  however  urgent, 
than  by  horse-legs.  In  war-time  this  messenger 
service,  or  express,  as  it  was  sometimes  called,  was 
especially  perilous;  for,  naturally,  each  contestant 
was  constantly  on  the  lookout  to  kill  or  capture 
the  couriers  of  the  other,  in  order  to  secure  his 
message  and  to  prevent  him  from  carrying  his  news 
to  the  enemy. 

This  was  the  reason  why  Trav  and  Tom  were  to 
make  their  early-morning  start;  for  it  was  alto- 
gether possible  that  some  of  the  scouting  parties 
from  Santa  Anna's  army  had  already  reached  the 


230          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

region  of  Goliad,  and  were  even  then  on  the  lookout 
for  any  express  that  Fannin  might  send  out  or  that 
might  be  sent  to  him;  and  Colonel  Fannin  wisely 
thought  that  the  time  just  before  daylight  would  be 
the  safest  for  the  boys  to  pass  through  this  danger 
zone. 

It  was  just  three  o'clock  by  Captain  Horton's 
watch,  when  Colonel  Fannin  came  out  of  his  quar- 
ters, his  letter  to  the  Convention  in  his  hand,  and 
walked  quickly  up  to  where  Trav  and  Tom  stood. 

"Give  this  to  the  President  of  the  Convention," 
he  said,  handing  the  letter  to  Trav.  "Warn  every 
Texan  that  you  see  that  Travis  at  San  Antonio  is 
even  now  battling  with  the  army  of  Santa  Anna, 
and  bid  every  man  to  shoulder  his  rifle  and  hasten 
hither,  and  bring  every  beast  that  he  owns  capable 
of  pulling  a  load  with  him.  I  will  remain  here  for 
two  or  three  days,  to  collect  supplies  and  animals 
to  pull  my  cannon,  and  then  hurry  to  the  aid  of 
Travis.  A  speedy  delivery  of  your  message  is  of 
the  utmost  importance.  You  ride  for  Texas.  Do 
not  spare  your  horses.  Get  fresh  horses  at  Vic- 
toria, at  Columbus,  wherever  you  can;  and  ride 
night  and  day  until  you  reach  Washington.  Now, 
may  the  God  of  Liberty  protect  you!  Good-by," 
and  he  gripped  each  boy  by  the  hand. 

Without  a  word,  they  had  already  said  their  good- 
bys  to  the  little  group  of  dear  ones  who  had  gath- 
ered to  see  them  off,  the  two  boys  sprang  into  their 
saddles,  the  gates  of  the  fort  swung  open,  and  they 


Colonel  Fannin's  Couriers  231 

were  off,  leaving  behind  them  Kitty  and  her  mother 
sobbing  in  each  other's  arms  and  Sam  McNelly 
and  Jonas  Gifford  gripping  strongly  each  other's 
hands. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A  GREAT  RIDE  FOR  TEXAS 

VICTORIA,  the  first  settlement  the  boys  would 
reach,  is  about  twenty-five  miles  east  of  Go- 
liad;  and  the  road  thither  was  considered  the  most 
dangerous  part  of  their  journey,  for  here,  if  any- 
where, it  was  thought  the  Mexicans  would  be  on 
the  watch  to  prevent  Fannin  from  sending  out  news 
of  his  situation  or  of  the  coming  of  Santa  Anna 
and  his  army.  Therefore,  Trav  and  Tom  felt  that 
the  worst  of  their  dangers  would  be  over,  if  they 
could  get  safely  through  this  region  and  reach  Vic- 
toria undetected  by  the  Mexicans. 

"You  keep  a  sharp  lookout  ahead  and  to  your 
left,  Tom,"  Trav  said,  as  they  galloped  down  the 
hill,  through  the  streets  of  the  sleeping  town,  and 
out  onto  the  broad  prairie  beyond.  "I  will  watch 
the  country  ahead  and  to  the  right.  We  must  not 
be  caught  napping." 

"All  right,"  Tom  replied.  "Say,  this  is  going 
to  be  a  great  ride !  Makes  a  fellow  feel  like  a  man 
to  be  trusted  with  such  grave  responsibilities  and  to 
face  such  great  dangers  all  alone." 

"Yes,  and  we  mustn't  forget  to  act  like  men," 
Trav  warned.  "We  can't  talk  and  keep  a  sharp 

232 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  233 

lookout  all  around  at  the  same  time,  so  I  reckon 
we'd  better  cut  out  the  talk,  as  Davy  would  say, 
at  least  until  after  we've  reached  Victoria.  My, 
but  I  should  like  to  have  Davy  Crockett  with  us! 
Not  that  I  am  afraid,"  he  added  quickly ;  "but  Davy 
is  such  good  company,  and  he  always  knows  just 
what  to  do,  no  matter  how  great  the  danger  is." 

"So  would  I,"  Tom  agreed  heartily.  "Davy 
seems  to  have  eyes  all  around  his  head,  and  we've 
only  got  two  and  both  of  them  in  front." 

"Well,  I'm  thinking  we'd  better  use  the  two  we've 
got  more  and  our  tongues  less,"  Trav  cautioned, 
resolutely  closing  his  own  mouth  and  giving  his 
whole  attention  to  the  country  through  which  they 
were  riding. 

For  an  hour  after  this  the  two  boys  galloped 
steadily  eastward,  neither  speaking  a  word,  but 
both  keeping  their  keen  young  eyes  constantly 
searching  the  road  ahead  and  the  country  on  either 
side.  There  was  no  moon,  but  the  stars  shone  with 
wonderful  brilliancy  in  the  clear  cold  skies,  and 
gave  them  sufficient  light  to  follow  the  well-worn 
trail  over  the  level  prairie  as  swiftly  as  their  horses 
could  carry  them.  At  the  end  of  the  hour  the 
country  became  more  hilly  and  wooded;  and,  on 
the  summit  of  one  of  these  hills,  the  boys  paused 
to  give  their  horses  a  few  moments'  breathing, 
while  their  eyes  searched  carefully  the  country 
ahead. 

"Look!"  Tom  suddenly  exclaimed,  pointing  to  a 


234          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

little  clump  of  trees  that  grew  in  the  hollow  of  the 
valley  half  a  mile  beyond  where  they  sat.  "Isn't 
that  a  light  shining  through  them  trees/'  and  his 
eyes  glinted  with  excitement.  "  Someone  must  be 
camping  there,  and  it's  the  light  from  their  camp- 
fire  that  we  see." 

"Yes,"  Trav  agreed.  "It  must  be  a  camp-fire; 
and  we'd  better  get  off  the  top  of  this  hill,  where  we 
can  be  seen  for  a  long  ways,  as  quickly  as  we  can. 
Ride  careful,  so  as  not  to  make  any  more  noise  than 
you  can  help,  and  follow  me,"  and  he  started  down 
the  hill  toward  the  dark  shadows  of  a  little  grove  of 
oak  trees  that  grew  at  its  foot. 

When  the  boys  reached  the  trees,  they  stopped 
their  horses,  and  sat  for  a  minute  or  two  and  lis- 
tened as  intently  as  possible.  Not  a  suspicious 
sound  reached  their  ears. 

"What  if  it  is  Mexicans  sent  to  watch  the  trail  ?" 
Trav  spoke  very  low  and  kept  his  eyes  on  the  clump 
of  trees.  "They  might  have  seen  us  when  we  were 
on  the  top  of  that  hill.  It  was  foolish  for  us  to  stop 
there." 

"We  must  find  out  who  they  are,"  Tom  declared. 
"If  they  are  Mexicans,  we  want  to  know  it,  so  as 
to  be  on  our  guard,  and  to  be  sure  they  don't  ge* 
on  our  trail." 

"You're  right,"  Trav  assented.  "We  must  know 
whether  that  fire  means  friends  or  enemies.  You 
stay  here  and  guard  the  horses,  and  I'll  creep  up 
the  bed  of  that  gully  there  and  find  out,"  and  he 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  235 

pointed  to  a  shallow  channel,  worn  through  the  soil 
by  the  heavy  falls  of  rain  that  sometimes  flooded 
the  land  in  that  region,  and  apparently  running 
directly  to  the  clump  of  trees  where  the  light 
showed.  "It  is  deep  enough  to  hide  me,"  and  he 
jumped  from  his  saddle  and  handed  his  bridle  rein 
to  Tom,  who  had  also  sprung  to  the  ground.  "Bet- 
ter lead  the  horses  out  of  sight  among  the  trees. 
Now,  keep  your  ears  and  eyes  both  open.  I  won't 
be  gone  long,"  and  Trav  dropped  down  into  the 
gully,  which  ran  only  a  few  feet  from  where  he 
had  been  standing. 

The  bed  of  the  gully  was  dry  and  from  four  to 
ten  feet  deep,  affording  Trav  secure  concealment; 
and,  in  less  than  a  minute  after  he  entered  its  chan- 
nel, he  had  vanished  from  the  sight  of  Tom  as  com- 
pletely as  if  the  earth  had  swallowed  him. 

For  a  couple  of  minutes  Tom  stood  motionless, 
holding  the  reins  of  the  horses  with  one  hand  and 
his  rifle  with  the  other  and  keeping  his  eyes  on  the 
spot  where  Trav  had  disappeared,  then  he  cau- 
tiously led  the  horses  back  farther  into  the  woods 
and  stopped  in  a  little  opening  underneath  a  huge 
tree,  curtained  round  with  the  black  shadows  of 
night,  and  anxiously  awaited  the  return  of  Trav. 
Fifteen  minutes — twenty  minutes — half  an  hour 
passed.  It  seemed  like  hours  to  the  waiting  boy. 
He  began  to  get  uneasy,  began  to  wonder  if  some- 
thing might  not  have  happened  to  Trav.  Possibly 
he  had  been  captured — killed. 


236  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

There  is  nothing  more  trying  to  the  most  stead- 
fast nerves  than  thus,  alone  in  the  darkness  and 
mystery  of  night,  to  await  the  return  of  a  comrade 
gone  on  some  perilous  venture — and  Tom  was  but 
a  boy.  The  minutes  pass  like  hours.  A  thousand 
frightful  apprehensions  assail  the  mind.  The 
nerves  are  strung  to  the  highest  possible  tension. 
Every  unusual  sound  makes  the  heart  jump.  The 
eyes  are  constantly  straining  to  pierce  the  mystery 
of  the  surrounding  darkness,  the  ears  to  catch  the 
first  suspicious  sound  of  approaching  danger,  the 
muscles  to  be  ready  for  the  instant  spring  should 
the  danger  attack. 

Thus  it  was  with  Tom,  as  he  stood  there  in  the 
darkness  underneath  the  great  tree,  holding  the 
reins  of  the  horses  tightly  with  one  hand,  gripping 
his  rifle  with  the  other,  every  sense  alert,  every 
nerve  strung  to  its  tightest  tension,  listening — look- 
ing for  the  first  sound  or  sight  of  his  returning 
comrade,  or  approaching  danger,  fervently  hoping 
that  no  serious  trouble  had  befallen  him,  yet  con- 
stantly fearing  that  he  might  be  even  at  that  mo- 
ment in  the  most  deadly  peril. 

A  twig  cracked  but  a  few  yards  away.  It  might 
be  Trav  returning — it  might  be  an  enemy  creeping 
upon  him  in  the  darkness — it  might  be  only  a  night 
animal  moving  through  the  underbrush.  He 
longed  to  call  out,  but  dared  not.  He  strained  his 
eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  but  could  see 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  237 

nothing  but  the  dark  shadows  of  trees  and  brush. 
Something  moved  behind  him — close  to  him. 

"Trav!  Trav!"  he  called  softly,  turning  quickly, 
his  rifle  ready. 

A  great  black  thing,  like  the  wing  of  a  monstrous 
bat,  leaped  out  from  behind  a  tree  not  two  feet  in 
front  of  him,  and  fell  over  his  head  and  shoulders, 
and  enveloped  his  arms  and  body;  and,  before  he 
could  lift  his  rifle  or  raise  an  arm  in  self-defense, 
he  was  vainly  struggling  in  the  thick  folds  of  a 
Mexican  blanket,  and  the  two  horses,  snorting  with 
fright,  were  galloping  through  the  woods. 

"Now,  lie  still,  you  young  wildcat,  or  I'll  poke  six 
inches  of  sharp  steel  atween  your  ribs,"  breathed  a 
heavy  voice  close  to  Tom's  ears,  while  he  felt  a  pair 
of  huge  arms  encircling  his  body,  with  a  force  that 
told  him  how  vain  it  would  be  for  him  to  struggle. 

"Ever  heered  tell  of  Big  Ike,  the  Red  Terror  of 
Texas  ?"  the  voice  continued.  "Wai,  you're  in  his 
clutches  right  now,  so  jest  hold  your  hosses,  or — " 

A  sound  like  the  cracking  of  a  cocoanut  reached 
Tom's  ears,  the  great  arms  around  his  body  sud- 
denly relaxed,  and,  the  next  moment,  the  breath  was 
nearly  crushed  out  of  his  lungs  by  the  weight  of  a 
huge  body  falling  on  top  of  him. 

"Tom!  Tom!  Are  you  hurt?"  and  Trav  in  a 
frenzy  of  excitement  roughly  pulled  the  body  of 
Big  Ike  off  Tom,  and  began  tearing  at  the  blanket. 

"No — no — n-o-t  a-bit,"  gasped  Tom,  struggling 


238          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to  his  feet.  "How — where — what  has  happened?" 
and  he  stared  at  the  huge  bulk  of  Big  Ike  lying  at 
his  feet — "Oh,  you  soaked  him  one  on  the  head! 
Bully  for  you,  Trav!"  and  he  looked  understand- 
ingly  and  admiringly  from  the  body  to  Trav. 

"Quick,"  and  Trav  bent  over  Big  Ike  and  pulled 
his  two  great  hands  together  behind  his  back,  "cut 
some  strips  out  of  that  blanket.  We  must  have  him 
tied  hand  and  foot  before  he  comes  to,  or  we'll 
have  an  elephant  on  our  hands  sure  enough." 

Tom  needed  no  second  bidding ;  and  five  minutes 
later  Big  Ike  lay  on  his  back,  his  hands  and  feet 
securely  bound  and  a  huge  wad  of  the  blanket 
tightly  stuffed  into  his  mouth.  Not  until  this  had 
been  safely  accomplished,  did  either  boy  speak,  then 
Tom  turned  to  Trav. 

"Why,  it  must  be  that  big  red-headed  bully  that 
Davy  knocked  down  in  that  fandango  hall  in  San 
Antonio,"  he  said.  "He  called  himself  Big  Ike." 

"And  tried  to  shoot  the  toes  off  my  feet,"  and 
Trav  glared  down  at  the  man.  "Well,  I  reckon, 
that  thump  I  gave  him  on  the  head  will  more  than 
even  matters  up  between  us —  Tom,"  and  he 
caught  hold  of  his  companion  by  the  shoulder  and 
bent  close  to  him,  "I  saw  Vasquez  standing  by  that 
camp-fire  over  in  the  woods,  and  a  dozen  other  Mex- 
icans and  white  desperadoes  lying  on  the  ground 
around  it,  and  Big  Ike  must  have  come  from  them, 
must  have  been  on  the  watch  and  saw  us  when  we 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  239 

were  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  then  crept  up,  think- 
ing to  capture  you  first  and  then  to  capture  me 
when  I  got  back —  But,  where  are  the  horses?" 
and  Trav  started  around  in  alarm. 

In  their  excitement  both  boys  for  the  moment 
had  forgotten  all  about  the  horses ;  but  now,  with  a 
great  sinking  of  their  hearts,  they  realized  what  a 
terrible  misfortune  the  loss  of  the  horses  would  be 
to  them,  and  the  need  of  recapturing  them  if  pos- 
sible. 

"We  must  get  them  back,  we  must,"  and  Tom 
looked  frantically  around.  "How  can  we  carry 
Fannin's  letter  to  the  Convention,  if  we  don't? 
Come,  let  us  see  if  we  can't  find  them.  Maybe  they 
did  not  run  far,"  and  he  started  off  to  look  for  the 
horses. 

"Wait,  we  must  make  sure  that  this  fellow  does 
not  get  loose,"  and  Trav  bent  over  Big  Ike,  who 
had  now  recovered  his  senses,  and  was  glaring 
furiously  at  the  boys,  and  carefully  examined  his 
bonds. 

He  found  every  knot  tight  and  every  bond  secure; 
and,  leaving  Big  Ike  to  meditate  alone  on  the  un- 
certainties of  life,  the  two  boys  hurried  away 
through  the  woods  in  the  direction  the  horses  had 
taken.  Before  they  had  gone  twenty  rods  they 
heard  one  of  the  horses  nicker;  and,  in  another 
minute,  they  found  the  animal  securely  held  by  its 
bridle-rein,  which  had  fortunately  caught  on  a 


240          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

strong  limb.  The  other  horse,  unwilling  to  leave 
his  companion,  stood  only  a  short  distance  away 
and  was  soon  captured. 

"This  is  sure  a  breeze  of  luck,  as  Davy  would 
say,"  Trav  declared,  as  he  led  his  horse  up  to  where 
Tom  stood  holding  his  horse.  "But,"  and  the  look 
of  anxiety  deepened  on  his  face,  "what  shall  we  do 
now?  I  am  sure  Vasquez  is  planning  some  new 
devilment  against  father,  and  we  ought  to  warn 
him ;  but  we  can't.  We  are  couriers  of  Texas,  and 
must  ride  on.  We've  already  delayed  longer  than 
we  ought.  Come,  we'll  have  to  ride  round  that 
camp,"  and  Trav  sprang  on  the  back  of  his  horse. 

"But,  what  shall  we  do  with  Big  Ike?"  Tom 
asked,  as  he  jumped  into  his  saddle. 

"Leave  him  where  he  is,"  Trav  rejoined.  "He 
can't  get  away,  and  there's  mighty  little  chance  of 
his  being  found  and  released  until  we're  miles  away 
and  out  of  reach  of  his  vengeance.  Besides  it  will 
do  him  a  sight  of  good  to  lay  there  and  chew  the 
rag  for  three  or  four  hours,  and  me  a  sight  more 
good  to  know  that  that's  what  he's  doing,"  and 
Trav  chuckled.  "But  I  do  wish  we  could  go  back 
and  warn  father  of  Vasquez,"  and  he  looked  long- 
ingly back  toward  Goliad. 

"Well,  we  can't,"  Tom  retorted  a  bit  impatiently, 
"and  the  farther  we  get  away  from  Vasquez  and 
his  band  of  desperadoes  before  daylight  the  better 
I'll  like  it.  Let's  be  moving." 

For  half  an  hour  after  this  neither  lad  spoke  a 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  241 

word,  as  they  cautiously  circled  round  the  little 
grove  where  burned  the  camp-fire  of  Vasquez ;  but, 
at  the  end  of  that  time,  the  camp-fire  was  a  couple 
of  miles  behind  them  and  they  were  back  on  the 
road  to  Victoria,  galloping  on  their  mission  as 
swiftly  as  their  horses'  legs  could  carry  them. 

The  sun  came  upr,  and  still  they  galloped  on,  with- 
out seeing  a  sign  of  human  life.  Later  they  passed 
a  number  of  the  log  cabins  of  lonely  settlers.  At 
each  they  paused  long  enough  to  shout:  "Santa 
Anna  and  the  Mexican  army  are  attacking  Travis 
in  the  Alamo!  Get  your  women  folks  to  a  place 
of  safety  and  hurry  to  his  rescue !"  Then,  on  they 
would  gallop,  without  waiting  to  see  the  effect  of 
their  words. 

A  little  before  ten  o'clock  they  rode  into  Victoria, 
their  horses  covered  with  sweat  and  foam  and  so 
exhausted  they  could  hardly  bear  their  riders,  and 
halted  in  the  plaza. 

"Messengers  to  the  Convention  from  Colonel 
Fannin !"  shouted  Trav  to  the  crowd  of  excited  men 
and  women  and  children  that  quickly  gathered 
round  them.  "Get  us  fresh  horses  at  once,  the 
swiftest  you  have!  Travis  and  his  men  in  the 
Alamo  at  San  Antonio  are  fighting  the  whole  Mex- 
ican army!  Shoulder  your  rifles,  men,  and  hurry 
to  Colonel  Fannin  at  Goliad  to  march  with  him  to 
his  rescue!" 

In  five  minutes  two  fresh  horses  were  ready  for 
the  boys,  in  three  minutes  more  their  saddles  and 


242  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

bridles  were  on  the  new  mounts,  and  in  another 
minute  they  were  galloping  out  of  Victoria  on  the 
road  to  Columbus,  leaving  behind  them  a  town  full 
of  excited  men,  women  and  children. 

Hour  after  hour  they  rode,  pausing  at  noontime 
to  eat  their  lunch  and  to  give  their  horses  a  feed 
and  a  brief  rest;  and  then  on  again,  all  through 
the  long  afternoon,  shouting  out  their  warning  of 
the  coming  of  Santa  Anna  at  every  settler's  house 
they  passed,  but  never  stopping  themselves,  on  until 
the  sun  went  down  and  the  stars  came  out  and  the 
gallant  little  beasts  beneath  them  were  almost  ready 
to  drop  with  weariness. 

At  nine  o'clock  that  night  they  rode  into  Colum- 
bus, the  boys  so  weary  they  could  hardly  sit  in 
their  saddles  and  their  horses  staggering  with  ex- 
haustion. Since  three  o'clock  that  morning  they 
had  ridden  over  seventy-five  miles,  and  they  had 
some  thirty  miles  yet  to  ride  before  they  would 
dare  stop  for  rest  or  sleep. 

Here  again  the  news  of  the  coming  of  the  Mex- 
ican army,  of  the  fighting  at  the  Alamo,  threw  the 
whole  town  into  the  wildest  turmoil  of  excitement. 
And  no  wonder;  for,  if  Travis  should  surrender, 
if  Fannin  should  be  conquered,  then  nothing  but  a 
few  leagues  of  undefended  country  would  lie  be- 
tween them  and  the  brutal  hordes  of  Santa  Anna's 
army.  Women  turned  white  and  clutched  at  their 
hearts  at  the  horrible  thought,  and  the  faces  of  the 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  243 

men  hardened  and  straightway  they  began  examin- 
ing their  weapons  and  preparing  for  war. 

Never  before  in  all  their  young  lives  had  Trav 
and  Tom  been  as  tired  and  sleepy  as  they  were 
when  they  rode  into  Columbus ;  but,  they  were  rid- 
ing for  Texas,  and  absolutely  refused  to  stop  longer 
than  was  necessary  to  eat  the  meal  that  kind  hands 
quickly  set  before  them.  In  half  an  hour,  mounted 
on  fresh  horses,  they  were  again  galloping  through 
the  darkness,  with  only  thirty  miles  left  between 
them  and  their  destination. 

At  three  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Richard  Ellis, 
President  of  the  Convention  then  in  session  at 
Washington  on  the  Brazos,  was  routed  out  of  his 
sleep,  and  told  that  two  boys,  covered  with  the  dust 
and  grime  of  a  long  ride  and  so  weak  from  exhaus- 
tion that  they  could  hardly  stand,  demanded  to  see 
him  immediately.  He  instantly  bade  that  they  be 
brought  to  his  bedroom;  and,  a  few  minutes  later, 
Trav  and  Tom  staggered  into  his  room,  their  faces 
and  bodies  covered  with  dust  and  their  limbs  trem- 
bling with  weariness. 

"From  Colonel  Fannin  at  Goliad,  sir/'  and  Trav 
straightened  up,  and,  thrusting  his  hand  into  his 
.bosom,  drew  out  Colonel  Fannin's  letter,  and  handed 
it  to  Mr.  Ellis. 

Richard  Ellis  seized  the  letter,  tore  it  open,  and 
swiftly  read  it,  uttering  sharp  exclamations  as  he 
read. 


244  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"And  you  two  boys  have  brought  this  message 
from  Goliad  since  yesterday  morning?"  and  he 
glanced  from  the  letter  sharply  at  Trav  and  Tom. 

"Yes,  sir,"  Trav  answered.  "And  please  do 
something  to  help  Colonel  Travis  and  Davy 
Crockett?  You  see  we  know  Davy  Crockett;  and 
there  are  so  few  Texans  in  the  Alamo  and  so  many 
•Mexicans  attacking  it,  that  even  men  like  Davy 
Crockett  can't  fight  them  off  long  ^without  help, 
and,  if  they're  not  helped,  they  will  all  be  killed." 

"My  brave  boys/'  and  Ellis  reached  out  and 
gripped  the  hand  of  each  lad,  "I — the  Convention 
— Texas  thanks  you.  You  have  made  a  great  ride, 
a  great  ride,"  he  repeated,  his  eyes  kindling.  "And 
all  that  the  Convention  can  do,  I  promise  you,  we 
will  do  to  save  Travis —  But — why  you're  almost 
ready  to  drop  with  fatigue!  And  no  wonder! 
Here,  Bill,  Red,  here!"  he  called.  "Get  these  two 
boys  into  my  bed  as  quick  as  you  can —  Never 
mind  the  dirt.  Off  with  their  clothing  and  into 
the  bed  with  them,"  and  out  of  the  bed  he  sprang 
and  began  hurriedly  putting  on  his  clothes.  "When 
they  wake  up,  and  want  something  to  eat,  stuff 
them,  stuff  them,  mind  you,  with  the  best  there  is 
in  the  house.  Now,  I'm  off  to  hunt  up  Sam  Hous- 
ton," and,  buttoning  up  his  clothes  as  he  went,  he 
rushed  out  of  the  room. 

All  of  the  little  remaining  strength  of  will  and 
body  seemed  suddenly  to  leave  Trav  and  Tom  the 
moment  they  had  safely  delivered  their  message; 


A  Great  Ride  for  Texas  245 

and,  too  exhausted  and  sleepy  to  make  even  a  move 
to  take  off  their  own  garments,  they  were  undressed 
and  placed  in  the  bed  by  the  two  men  Ellis  had 
summoned,  both  lads  falling  sound  asleep  before 
the  bedclothes  could  be  pulled  up  over  them. 
The  great  ride  for  Texas  was  ended. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THREE  LETTERS 

NOT  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  did 
Trav  and  Tom  awake;  and  then  it  seemed  to 
the  two  boys  as  if  the  Mammoth  Cave  had  been 
suddenly  transported  to  the  regions  usually  occupied 
by  their  stomachs.  Never  before  had  they  been 
so  hungry;  and  never  before  had  they  had  such  a 
meal  set  before  them ! 

They  found  the  little  town  of  Washington  a-buzz 
with  excitement.  That  had  been  a  great  day  for 
Texas !  for  on  that  day,  the  second  of  March,  eight- 
een hundred  and  thirty-six,  the  Convention  had 
adopted  a  Declaration  of  Independence,  declaring 
Texas  a  free  and  independent  state  and  severing 
forever  the  galling  bonds  that  heretofore  had  bound 
her  to  Mexico.  Men  marched  up  and  down  the 
streets  shouting  and  hurrahing  for  the  new  Repub- 
lic of  Texas,  until  they  were  too  hoarse  to  utter 
another  sound.  At  night  the  whole  town  blazed 
with  huge  bonfires.  But,  throughout  all  this  ex- 
citement and  rejoicing  there  ran  an  undernote  of 
anxiety,  of  dread.  Men  gathered  in  knots  and 
spoke  in  low  tones  of  Travis  and  his  heroes  at  the 
Alamo,  of  Santa  Anna  and  his  army,  of  his  taunting 

246 


Three  Letters  247 

boasts  that  he  would  make  all  Texas  a  howling 
wilderness.  Women  turned  pale  and  glanced 
shudderingly  toward  their  children,  at  the  sound 
of  the  hated  name  of  Santa  Anna  or  the  thought 
of  his  Mexican  soldiery.  There  was  excited  talk 
of  marching  to  the  rescue  of  Travis ;  but  there  was 
no  army  to  march;  and  an  army  large  enough  to 
meet  the  thousands  of  Santa  Anna  could  not  be 
organized  and  equipped  in  a  day  or  two. 

Trav  and  Tom  found  that  their  ride  had  made 
heroes  of  them.  They  were  warmly  greeted  wher- 
ever they  went.  The  next  day  they  were  sum- 
moned to  the  Convention  and  told  their  story  to  its 
members;  and  on  that  day  they  heard  read  to  the 
Convention  the  famous  letter  of  Colonel  Travis 
appealing  "to  the  people  of  Texas  and  all  Americans 
in  the  world."  The  stirring  words  of  the  appeal 
rang  like  bugle  notes  in  the  heart  of  every  man  in 
the  Convention;  but  to  Trav  and  Tom  the  letter 
came  almost  with  the  force  of  a  personal  appeal. 
As  they  listened  they  seemed  to  see  the  tall  form 
of  Colonel  Travis,  and  to  hear  the  words  falling 
from  his  lips.  Had  it  been  possible,  they  would 
have  gladly  seized  their  rifles  and  rushed  to  his  aid, 
without  a  thought  of  what  their  own  fate  might  be ; 
and  their  hearts  were  not  the  only  hearts  that  the 
letter  had  fired  with  a  like  patriotism. 

And  no  wonder  that  the  letter  stirred  the  heart 
and  moved  the  soul  and  made  the  hand  of  Anglo- 
American  manhood  feel  like  gripping  the  rifle  and 


248          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

rushing  to  the  Alamo  to  the  aid  of  Travis;  for  this 
is  how  the  heroic  appeal — it  has  been  called  the  most 
heroic  document  among  American  historical  records 
— read : 

COMMANDANCY   OF  THE   ALAMO, 

BEXAR,    February  24th,  1836. 
To  the  People  of  Texas  and  all  Americans  in  the 

World: 

FELLOW  CITIZENS  AND  COMPATRIOTS  : — I  am  be- 
sieged by  a  thousand  or  more  of  the  Mexicans  under 
Santa  Anna.  I  have  sustained  a  continual  bom- 
bardment and  cannonade  for  24  hours  and  have 
not  lost  a  man.  The  enemy  has  demanded  a  sur- 
render at  discretion,  otherwise,  the  garrison  are  to 
be  put  to  the  sword,  if  the  fort  is  taken.  I  have 
answered  the  demand  with  a  cannon  shot,  and  our 
flag  still  waves  proudly  from  the  walls.  /  shall 
never  surrender  or  retreat.  Then,  I  call  on  you  in 
the  name  of  Liberty,  of  patriotism  and  everything 
dear  to  the  American  character,  to  come  to  our  aid 
with  all  dispatch.  The  enemy  is  receiving  rein- 
forcements daily  and  will  no  doubt  increase  to  three 
or  four  thousand  in  four  or  five  days.  If  this  call 
is  neglected,  I  am  determined  to  sustain  myself  as 
long  as  possible  and  die  like  a  soldier  who  never 
forgets  what  is  due  to  his  own  honor  and  that  of  his 
country.  VICTORY  or  DEATH. 

WILLIAM  BARRETT  TRAVIS. 
Lt.  Col.  Comdt. 


Three  Letters 


249 


P.  S.  The  Lord  is  on  our  side.  When  the  en- 
emy appeared  in  sight  we  had  not  three  bushels  of 
corn.  We  have  since  found  in  a  deserted  house 
80  or  90  bushels  and  got  into  the  walls  20  or  30 
head  of  Beeves.  TRAVIS. 

But,  as  much  as  this  letter  stirred  the  Convention 
and  the  people,  nothing  definite,  nothing  positive  was 
done  to  aid  Travis.  Perhaps  nothing  could  have 
been  done  in  the  then  disorganized  condition  of 
affairs;  but  to  Trav  and  Tom,  whose  hearts  bled 
for  Davy  Crockett,  for  Colonel  Travis  and  his  noble 
band  of  heroes,  this  seeming  inactivity  was  beyond 
comprehension.  However,  they  were  only  two  boys 
who  could  not  be  expected  to  know  that  the  ma- 
chinery of  state  must  be  adjusted  before  it  could 
be  put  into  motion. 

A  couple  of  days  passed,  days  of  the  keenest 
anxiety  to  Trav  and  Tom,  to  all  the  people,  and 
then,  on  Sunday,  March  6th,  word  went  through 
the  town  that  another  express  had  just  come  from 
Travis,  with  letters  to  the  Convention. 

Trav  and  Tom  were  sitting  in  their  room  when 
the  news  reached  them.  They  instantly  seized  their 
hats  and  rushed  to  the  Hall  of  the  Convention. 
The  President  was  already  in  his  chair,  the  mem- 
bers in  their  seats,  while  an  excited  crowd  of  men 
and  women  spectators  filled  the  Hall. 

The  President  arose,  and,  in  the  hush  that  fol- 
lowed, announced  that  there  had  just  come  to  him 


250          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

by  express  a  document  of  "the  most  important  char- 
acter ever  received  by  any  assembly  of  men";  and 
then  he  read  a  letter  from  Colonel  Travis,  which 
you  may  here  read,  in  order  that  you  may  under- 
stand with  what  intense  interest  Trav  and  Tom  lis- 
tened to  this  message  from  these  imperiled  men, 
every  one  of  whom  they  knew  and  honored. 

The  letter  was  dated  March  3,  1836,  and  directed 
to  the  President  of  the  Convention.  It  read : 

"From  the  25th  to  the  present  date,  the  enemy 
have  kept  up  a  heavy  bombardment  on  all  sides. 
Notwithstanding  all  this,  a  company  of  thirty-two 
men  from  Gonzales  made  their  way  into  us  on  the 
morning  of  the  first  (March),  at  3  o'clock,  and 
Colonel  Bonham  (a  courier  sent  to  Goliad)  got  in 
this  morning.  I  have  so  fortified  this  place,  that 
the  walls  are  generally  proof  against  cannon  balls, 
and  I  still  continue  to  entrench  on  the  inside,  and 
strengthen  the  walls  by  throwing  up  dirt.  At  least 
two  hundred  shells  have  fallen  inside  our  works 
without  having  injured  a  man;  indeed,  we  have 
been  so  fortunate  as  not  to  have  lost  a  man  from 
any  cause,  and  we  have  killed  many  of  the  enemy. 
The  spirits  of  my  men  are  still  high,  although 
they  have  had  much  to  depress  them.  We 
have  contended  for  ten  days  against  an  enemy 
whose  numbers  are  variously  estimated  at  from 
1,500  to  6,000  men,  with  General  Sezema  and  Colo- 
nel Batres,  the  aids-de-camp  of  Santa  Anna,  at 


Three  Letters  251 

their  head.  A  reinforcement  of  about  2,000  men 
is  now  entering  Bexar  from  the  west,  and  I  think  it 
more  than  probable  Santa  Anna  is  in  town,  from 
the  rejoicing  I  hear.  Colonel  Fannin  is  said  to  be 
on  the  march  to  this  place  with  reinforcements,  but 
I  fear  it  is  not  true,  as  I  have  repeatedly  sent  to 
him  for  aid  without  receiving  any.  Colonel  Bon- 
ham,  my  special  messenger,  arrived  at  La  Bahia 
(Goliad)  fourteen  days  ago  with  a  request  for  aid, 
and,  on  the  entrance  of  the  enemy  into  Bexar  (San 
Antonio),  ten  days  ago,  I  sent  an  express  to  Colo- 
nel Fannin,  which  arrived  at  Goliad  next  day,  urg- 
ing him  to  send  us  reinforcements.  None  have 
yet  arrived.  I  look  to  the  Colonies  alone  for  aid, 
and,  unless  it  arrives  soon,  I  shall  have  to  fight  the 
enemy  on  his  own  terms.  I  feel  confident  that  the 
determined  valor  and  desperate  courage  heretofore 
evinced  by  my  men  will  not  fail  them  in  the  last 
struggle;  and,  although  they  may  be  sacrificed  to 
the  vengeance  of  a  Gothic  enemy,  the  victory  will 
cost  so  dear,  that  it  will  be  worse  than  a  defeat. 
"God  and  Texas !  Victory  or  Death !" 

In  the  death-like  silence  that  followed  the  reading 
of  this  letter  a  friend  of  Colonel  Travis  arose,  and 
said  that  he,  also,  had  received  a  letter  from  Colonel 
Travis,  parts  of  which  he  thought  might  be  of  in- 
terest to  the  Convention  to  hear  read. 

The  President  of  the  Convention  promptly  bade 
him  read  the  letter;  and  again  you  can  listen  with 
Trav  and  Tom. 


252  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

This  letter  was  also  dated  March  3d;  and  the 
parts  read  were  as  follows : 

"I  am  still  here  in  fine  spirits.  With  145  men  I 
have  held  this  place  ten  days  against  forces  va- 
riously estimated  at  1,500  to  6,000;  and  I  shall 
continue  to  hold  it  until  I  get  relief  from  my  coun- 
trymen, or  I  will  perish  in  its  defense.  Let  the 
Convention  go  and  make  a  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  we  will  then  understand  and  the 
world  will  understand,  what  we  are  fighting  for.  If 
independence  is  not  declared,  I  shall  lay  down  my 
arms,  and  so  will  the  men  under  my  command.  But 
under  the  flag  of  independence  we  are  ready  to  peril 
our  lives  a  hundred  times  a  day,  and  to  dare  the 
monster  who  is  fighting  us  under  a  blood-red  flag, 
threatening  to  murder  all  prisoners  and  to  make 
Texas  a  waste  desert.  I  shall  fight  the  enemy  on 
his  own  terms;  yet  I  am  ready  to  do  it,  and  if  my 
countrymen  do  not  rally  to  my  relief,  I  am  deter- 
mined to  perish  in  the  defense  of  this  place,  and  my 
bones  shall  reproach  my  country  for  her  neglect. 
With  500  men  more,  I  will  drive  Sezema  beyond  the 
Rio  Grande,  and  I  will  visit  vengeance  on  the  en- 
emies of  Texas." 

The  effect  of  the  reading  of  these  two  letters  on 
the  Convention,  on  the  people,  was  electrical.  The 
patriotic  fervor,  the  devoted  courage,  the  noble  de- 
spair that  breathed  in  every  line  of  the  heroic  ap- 
peals thrilled,  like  bugle  calls  to  battle,  through 


Three  Letters  253 

every  heart  present.  In  the  midst  of  the  most  in- 
tense excitement,  Robert  Potter,  a  delegate,  arose 
and  moved  that  "the  Convention  do  immediately 
adjourn,  arm,  and  march  to  the  relief  of  the 
Alamo." 

At  this  moment  the  tall  form  of  Sam  Houston 
rose  from  his  seat,  his  square-chinned,  massive  face 
and  glowing  eyes  aflame  with  the  emotions  kindled 
by  the  heroic  appeal  of  Travis;  and  yet  he  rose  to 
oppose  the  motion,  more,  to  denounce  it  as  mad- 
ness, as  treason  to  the  people,  who  had  sent  them 
there  not  only  to  declare  their  Independence  of  Mex- 
ico, but  also  to  organize  a  government,  without 
which  they  would  only  be  outlaws  among  the  nations 
of  the  world  and  could  neither  hope  for  the  sympa- 
thy nor  the  respect  of  mankind.  He  warned  the 
Convention  of  the  peril  of  such  actions  to  the  coun- 
try. He  advised  them  calmly  to  continue  their  de- 
liberations, bravely  and  patriotically  and  wisely,  to 
organize  the  government,  in  order  that  all  the  world 
might  know  that  Texas  was  ruled  by  statesmen  and 
not  by  a  mob,  however  patriotic  and  brave  the  mob 
might  be.  He  pledged  himself  to  go  instantly  to 
Gonzales,  where  he  was  told  a  small  body  of  armed 
settlers  had  gathered,  place  himself  at  their  head, 
rally  to  his  support  every  man  possible,  and,  if  mor- 
tal power  could  avail,  to  rescue  the  brave  men  in 
the  Alamo. 

His  eloquence,  his  logic,  the  magnetism  of  his 
remarkable  personality,  almost  instantly  stilled  the 


254          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

tumult,  and  transformed  what  the  moment  before 
had  promised  to  become  a  mob  into  a  body  of  rea- 
soning men.  He  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour ;  and  the 
moment  he  stopped  speaking,  confident  that  his  elo- 
quence had  had  the  desired  effect,  he  walked  out 
of  the  Convention  and  prepared  to  start  immediately 
for  Gonzales  on  his  way  to  the  Alamo. 

The  reading  of  the  two  letters  and  the  impas- 
sionate  eloquence  of  Houston  had  greatly  moved 
Trav  and  Tom,  and  the  moment  he  left  the  Hall 
of  the  Convention  they  hurried  out  after  him,  de- 
termined, if  possible,  to  go  with  him  to  Gonzales 
and  to  the  rescue  of  Travis.  As  they  passed 
through  the  door  a  hunter,  roughly  dressed  and 
travel-stained,  caught  hold  of  Trav's  arm. 

"Be  you  Trav  McNelly,  son  of  Sam  McNelly?" 
he  asked. 

"Yes,  yes,"  Trav  answered  quickly,  his  face 
whitening,  for  instantly  his  thoughts  had  gone  in 
fear  to  his  mother  and  Kitty.  "What  is  it  ?  What 
has  happened?" 

"Jest  a  bit  of  Mexican  devilment,"  scowled  the 
hunter.  "But,  I  reckon,  you  bein'  Trav  McNelly, 
son  of  Sam  McNelly,  this  note'll  give  you  th'  infer- 
mation  wanted,"  and  he  thrust  his  hand  into  the 
bosom  of  his  greasy  deerskin  shirt,  pulled  out  a 
soiled  letter  and  handed  it  to  Trav. 

Trav  tore  the  letter  open  and  read : 

"DEAR  SON — That  Greaser  villain,  Vasquez,  has 
got  Kitty.  Your  mother  is  sick.  Can't  get  away 


Three  Letters  255 

from  Goliad  as  planned.     Return  to  Goliad  at  once. 
Jonas  says  for  Tom  to  come  with  you. 

"SAM  MCNELLY." 

Evidently  Sam  McNelly  was  more  accustomed  to 
handling  the  rifle  than  the  pen;  but,  brief  as  was 
the  letter,  it  told  Trav  sufficient.  He  could  read 
between  the  lines  the  agony — the  dread,  a  more 
gifted  pen  might  have  put  into  words.  For  an 
instant  he  stood  glaring  wildly  at  the  paper  trem- 
bling in  his  hands,  then  he  handed  it  to  Tom  and 
turned  to  the  hunter. 

"How — when  did  this  happen?"  and  Trav  in  his 
agitation  caught  hold  of  the  hunter's  sleeve. 

"Wai,  if  you're  meanin'  th'  stealin'  of  th'  gal  by 
th'  Mexies,"  the  hunter  answered,  "  'twas  th'  day 
you  left.  'Bout  th'  middle  of  th'  afternoon  a  big 
red-headed  giant  of  a  fellow  corned  ridin'  in,  an' 
said  as  how  one  of  you  boys  had  met  up  with  a  bad 
accident,  broke  a  leg  or  somethin'  by  his  hoss  stum- 
blin',  'bout  halfway  atween  Goliad  an'  Victoria,  an' 
was  lyin'  thar  on  th'  ground,  an'  wanted  his  dad 
tew  come  after  him  with  a  litter.  Said  'tother  one 
of  you  boys  had  gone  on,  'cause  he  was  carryin'  an 
important  message.  Of  course  your  dads,  both  on 
'em,  started  at  once,  an'  Mrs.  McNelly  was  bound 
tew  go  tew,  but  they  left  th'  gal.  Colonel  Fannin 
sent  an  escort  'long  tew  perteck  'em  from  th'  Mex- 
ies. Wai,  'long  'bout  an  hour  after  they'd  gone, 
back  comes  th'  big  red-headed  fellow,  an'  says 


256          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

as  how  he'd  been  sent  after  th'  gal  by  her  paw  and 
maw;  an'  of  course,  bein'  none  suspicious,  Colonel 
Fannin  allowed  th'  gal  tew  ride  off  with  him,  an' 
nobody  ain't  seen  nothin'  of  her  since." 

"But,  what  of  dad  and  mother?  Did — did  any- 
thing happen  to  them?"  and  Trav's  eyes  searched 
the  hunter's  face  imploringly. 

"Naw ;  they  got  back  th'  next  day,  having  ridden 
clean  through  tew  Victoria  without  findin'  no  boy 
with  a  broken  leg;  an'  thar,  larnin'  that  you  boys 
had  both  gone  through  th'  town  a-flyin'  th'  day 
afore,  they  suspicioned  somethin'  was  wrong  an' 
hurried  back  as  fast  as  hoss  legs  could  bring  'em. 
That  was  th'  fust  Colonel  Fannin  an'  th'  rest  on  us 
knowed  th'  gal  was  stolen,  we  supposin*  she  was 
with  her  dad  an'  maw.  Th'  next  mornin'  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly  found  a  Mexican  dagger,  pinnin'  a  paper  tew 
th'  door  of  th'  house  in  which  he  slept  and  on  the 
paper  was  writ  somethin'  'bout  crackin'  Mexican 
skulls  with  bare  fists,  an'  Mexican  vengeance,  an' 
sayin'  that  th'  gal  was  now  th'  writer's  slave  an' 
would  never  see  her  dad  an'  maw  agin'  an'  th'  paper 
was  signed  Vasquez.  That's  what  I  call  a  low- 
down,  dirty,  mean,  cowardly  Greaser  trick,"  and 
the  honest  hunter's  face  flushed  with  indignation. 

"Thank  you  for  bringing  the  message,"  Trav 
said,  his  white  lips  closing  very  tightly  together. 
"But  now  we  must  get  back  to  Goliad — to  dad  and 
mother — just  as  soon  as  we  can." 

"Then  you'd  better  go  'long  with  General  Sam 


Three  Letters  257 

as  far  as  Gonzales,"  admonished  the  hunter.  "An" 
if  you're  a-goin'  with  him  you'd  better  be  gettin' 
some  lively  moves  on  you,  'cause  Sam  Houston's 
worse  than  a  prairie  afire,  when  he  gets  a  hustle 


on." 


"I  reckon  you're  right,"  Trav  answered,  his  face 
showing  how  deeply  the  news  of  the  hunter  affected 
him.  "Come  on,  Tom,"  and  both  boys  started  on 
the  run  for  the  quarters  of  General  Sam  Houston. 


CHAPTER  XX 
"THE  ALAMO  HAS  FALLEN" 

/^ENERAL  HOUSTON,  when  Trav  and  Tom 
^-*  reached  his  quarters,  was  in  the  midst  of  an 
excited  and  rapidly  moving  throng  of  servants,  all 
busily  engaged  in  getting  everything  in  readiness 
for  his  immediate  departure;  but  he  paused  long 
enough  to  listen  to  their  story. 

"Yes,  you  can  ride  with  me,"  he  said,  the  moment 
Trav  had  told  what  they  wanted  and  why.  "And 
Fd  go  with  you  myself  after  that  villainous  Mex- 
can,  if  even  greater  wrongs  than  yours  did  not 
demand  my  immediate  attention.  Now,  get  your- 
selves on  the  backs  of  your  horses  as  speedily  as 
possible,  for  I  start  in  half  an  hour,  and,  by  the 
eternal,  I  would  not  wait  a  moment  for  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  himself.  That  bungling 
conglomeration  of  assurance  and  imbecility,  the 
Council,  have  already  waited  too  long,"  and,  with  an 
angry  frown  on  his  flushed  countenance,  he  turned 
abruptly  from  the  boys  to  hustle  the  preparations 
for  his  departure. 

In  less  than  the  half  an  hour  Trav  and  Tom  were 
back,  mounted  on  their  horses,  their  rifles  in  their 
hands,  fully  equipped  for  the  journey.  They  found 

258 


"The  Alamo  Has  Fallen!"  259 

Colonel  George  W.  Hockley,  Houston's  chief  of 
staff,  and  one  or  two  other  men,  sitting  on  their 
horses  armed  and  ready  to  follow  General  Houston 
— all  that  cared  to  undertake  the  desperate  venture. 
Ten  minutes  later  the  little  company,  with  Sam 
Houston  at  their  head,  galloped  swiftly  out  of 
Washington,  and  turned  their  horses  westward 
toward  Gonzales. 

Gonzales,  then  the  western  outpost  of  Anglo- 
American  civilization,  is  situated  something  over  a 
hundred  miles  southwest  of  Washington,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Guadalupe  River.  The  road 
thither  was  through  a  wilderness  of  plains  and 
forests  and  over  steep  hills  and  across. bridgeless 
rivers.  Houston  and  his  little  party  rode  as  swiftly 
as  possible ;  but  it  was  not  until  March  the  eleventh, 
five  days  after  leaving  Washington,  that  they  rode 
into  Gonzales. 

They  found  the  little  town  in  the  greatest  excite- 
ment. 

"The  Alamo  has  fallen!  Travis  and  his  men 
have  all  been  murdered!"  were  almost  the  first 
words  they  heard. 

"How  do  you  know?  Who  brings  the  news?" 
and  Houston's  face  whitened  to  the  lips. 

"The  Mexican,  Antonio  Borgaro,  he  comes  direct 
from  San  Antonio.  Says  that  every  human  being 
in  the  Alamo  was  slaughtered,  except  a  woman  and 
her  child  and  a  negro;  that  the  cussed  Mexicans 
then  dragged  out  all  the  dead  bodies,  threw  them 


260          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

all  together  in  a  great  pile  mixed  with  wood,  and 
burnt  them  all  to  ashes." 

"By  all  the  thunders  of  the  great  Jove,  if  this  is 
true,"  and  Houston's  eyes  flamed  and  his  strong 
jaws  clicked  as  they  came  together,  "I'll  make 
Santa  Anna — Mexico — pay  dearly  for  every  drop 
of  the  heroic  blood  of  the  brave  Travis  and  his 
men  shed  by  this  Mexican  monster,  every  drop — 
send  the  Mexican  to  me  at  once,"  and,  springing 
off  his  horse,  General  Houston  hurried  into  the 
house,  where  he  was  to  make  his  headquarters  while 
in  Gonzales. 

"Oh,  it  can't  be  true,  it  can't  be  true!  Davy 
Crockett  and  Travis  and  Bowie  and  all  those  brave 
men  killed!  It  can't  be  true!"  Trav  mourned,  the 
horror  of  it  all  making  his  head  reel  and  his  mus- 
cles so  weak  that  he  could  hardly  stand.  "Tell 
me  it  is  not  true,"  and  he  turned  his  white  face 
appealingly  to  the  men  who  had  quickly  gathered 
round  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that  General  Hous- 
ton had  arrived.  "I — we  knew  Davy  Crockett." 

"I  am  sure  we  are  all  hoping  it  is  not  true,"  one 
of  the  men  answered;  "but  I  fear  our  hoping  will 
be  vain.  Not  that  we're  depending  on  the  Mex- 
ican's story  alone — Mexicans  are  borned  liars;  but 
none  of  our  scouts  has  heard  Travis's  sunrise  gun, 
which  he  was  to  fire  every  morning  as  long  as  he 
held  out,  since  last  Sunday,  and  that  was  the  day 
Antonio  says  the  Alamo  was  captured  and  Travis 


"The  Alamo  Has  Fallen!"  261 

and  all  his  men  killed.  So,  putting  the  two  to- 
gether, we  fear  there  is  not  much  hope  for  Travis 
and  his  brave  men.  But,"  and  his  face  hardened, 
"just  wait  until  we  get  a  chance  back  at  Santa 
Anna,  and  we'll  make  him  remember  the  Alamo, 
won't  we,  men  ?" 

There  was  something  of  the  growl  of  a  lion  in 
the  response  of  the  men,  while  the  fingers  of  many 
a  man  standing  there  tightened,  as  if  they  already 
felt  the  avenging  rifle  barrel  or  haft  of  knife  in 
their  grip. 

At  this  moment  a  messenger  came  from  General 
Houston,  summoning  the  two  boys  at  once  into  his 
presence. 

General  Houston,  when  the  boys  entered,  was 
striding  back  and  forth  across  the  room,  like  an 
angry  tiger  in  his  cage,  muttering  and  growling 
disjointed  sentences  to  himself.  Near  the  door 
stood  the  cowering  form  of  the  Mexican,  who  had 
brought  the  news  of  the  massacre,  at  the  Alamo, 
his  black  eyes  fixed  in  awe  and  fear  on  the  giant 
frame  and  perturbed  countenance  of  Houston. 
For  a  minute  or  more  General  Houston  appeared 
not  to  notice  the  two  boys,  then  he  stopped  sud- 
denly in  front  of  them. 

"Are  you  still  determined  to  go  to  Goliad?"  he 
asked  abruptly.  "The  road  thither  may  be  over- 
run by  Mexicans  by  this  time,  and  they  give  no 
quarter." 


262  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"We  must  go.  Father— mother— Kitty— " 
Trav's  voice  choked  at  the  thought  of  Kitty — "need 
us.  We  must  go,  Mexicans  or  no  Mexicans." 

"Spoken  like  true  sons  of  Texas/'  and  the  keen 
eyes  of  Houston  rested  admiringly  on  the  faces  of 
the  two  brave  boys.  "You  shall  go.  You  shall  be 
my  couriers  to  Fannin.  If  the  Alamo  has  fallen, 
Goliad  is  no  safe  place  for  him  and  his  little 
army.  He  must  blow  up  the  fort  and  retreat 
to  Victoria;  and  you  shall  bear  my  orders  to 
him  to  that  effect.  Be  prepared  to  start  by 
early  sunrise.  The  best  horses  in  the  place  shall 
be  at  your  service  and  I  will  order  one  of  the 
scouts,  who  knows  the  country  between  here  and 
Goliad  well,  to  go  with  you.  Now,"  and  he  gripped 
the  palm  of  each  boy  in  one  of  his  strong,  muscular 
hands,  "I  have  much  to  do  and  must  say  good  night 
to  you.  I  will  see  you  in  the  morning,  and  will 
have  my  despatches  to  Fannin  ready  by  sunrise. 
Now,  go/' 

"But,  do  you — do  you  believe  this  horrible  thing 
about  Travis  and  all  his  men  being  killed  in  the 
Alamo?"  and  Trav's  eyes  searched  almost  beseech- 
ingly the  face  of  General  Houston.  "It  seems  too 
— too  awful  to  be  true.  You  know  Davy  Crockett 
was  there." 

In  an  instant  the  angry  storm-clouds,  that  had 
cleared  away  during  his  few  words  to  the  boys, 
swept  back  across  the  countenance  of  Houston,  and 
the  fire  flashed  back  into  his  eyes. 


"The  Alamo  Has  Fallen!"  263 

"Nearly  two  hundred  of  the  bravest  men  in  all 
Texas  sacrificed,  needlessly  sacrificed  to  the  incom- 
petency  and  imbecile  arrogance  of  the  Council !"  he 
raged,  beginning  again  to  pace  rapidly  back  and 
forth  across  the  room.  "Travis  should  have  been 
supported,  should  have  had  back  of  him  a  thousand 
instead  of  less  than  two  hundred  men,  or  he  should 
never  have  been  sent  to  hold  the  Alamo  against  the 
army  of  Santa  Anna.  But,"  and  to  the  two  boys 
the  glorious  eyes  of  Houston  seemed  fairly  to  flame, 
"the  sacrifice  shall  not  have  been  made  in  vain.  The 
news  of  the  heroic  struggle  and  the  glorious  deaths 
of  the  heroes  of  the  Alamo  will  sound  in  the  ears 
of  every  Texan  worthy  of  the  name  like  bugle  calls 
to  battle!  The  horrible  butchery  will  arouse  the 
indignation  of  the  nations  of  the  world !  It  was  the 
last  stroke  of  Mexican  cruelty  and  oppression 
needed  to  sever  forever  the  chain  that  bound  Texas 
to  Mexico!  Texas  must  and  shall  be  free!" 

For  the  instant  he  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the 
two  boys,  the  appealing  question  of  Trav,  the  Mex- 
ican cowering  by  the  door.  Like  one  inspired  he 
looked  and  spake,  forgetful  of  all  his  present  sur- 
roundings. 

Then,  in  the  midst  of  this  exaltation,  there  sud- 
denly sounded,  loud  and  imperative,  a  rap  on  the 
door;  and  Colonel  Hockley,  Houston's  chief  of  staff, 
threw  the  door  open  and  entered,  a  look  of  unspeak- 
able horror  and  wrath  on  his  white  face. 

"It  is  true !     It  is  true !"  he  cried.     "Travis  and 


264  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

all  of  his  men  have  been  butchered  and  their  bodies 
burned.  Mrs.  Dickinson,  Lieutenant  Dickinson's 
wife,  has  just  come  in  from  San  Antonio,  sent  by 
Santa  Anna  himself  with  a  proclamation  of  pardon 
to  all  insurgents  who  will  lay  down  their  arms  and 
swear  allegiance  to  Mexico.  Every  man  of  them 
was  butchered.  She  and  her  baby  and  a  negro  boy 
were  all  the  fiends  left  alive  in  the  Alamo.  Santa 
Anna  and  five  thousand  soldiers  are  advancing  by 
forced  marches  upon  Gonzales.  We — " 

"Bring  her,  bring  her  here  at  once,"  interrupted 
Houston  peremptorily. 

Colonel  Hockley,  with  a  glance  at  his  chief, 
whirled  on  his  heels  and  shot  out  of  the  door. 

Trav  and  Tom,  sick  with  horror,  their  last  hope 
gone,  waited  the  coming  of  Mrs.  Dickinson.  Gen- 
eral Houston,  with  tightly  compressed  lips,  con- 
tinued to  pace  up  and  down  the  room.  The  Mex- 
ican, with  a  final  glance  at  the  face  of  the  general, 
slunk  out  of  the  room  and  vanished.  From  outside 
came  the  wailing  cries  of  women — twenty  wives  in 
Gonzales  were  made  widows  by  the  slaughter  at 
the  Alamo — and  the  sounds  of  a  wild  tumult,  grow- 
ing louder  and  coming  nearer.  Then  the  door  was 
again  thrown  open,  and  a  woman,  holding  tightly 
in  her  arms  a  little  girl,  staggered  in,  followed  by 
Colonel  Hockley  and  a  negro  boy,  in  whom  Trav 
and  Tom  at  once  recognized  the  negro  servant  of 
Colonel  Travis — all  that  were  left  of  that  gallant 
band,  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  who  had  gathered 


"The  Alamo  Has  Fallen!"  265 

round  the  huge  camp-fire  in  the  plaza  of  San  An- 
tonio, on  that  now  never  to  be  forgotten  night, 
when,  for  the  last  time,  they  had  looked  upon  the 
loved  faces  and  stalwart  forms  of  Davy  Crockett 
and  Will  Travis  and  Jim  Bowie  and  their  heroic 
comrades,  all  alight  in  the  glory  of  the  red  fire- 
light. 

Trav  and  Tom  were  horror-stricken  by  the  ema- 
ciated face  and  form  of  Mrs.  Dickinson.  Her  eyes 
looked  twice  their  natural  size  and  burned  in  their 
sunken  sockets  like  coals  of  fire.  No  need  for  her 
tongue  to  tell  that  she  had  been  looking  upon  things 
unutterable. 

"General  Houston,"  and  the  unfortunate  woman 
stepped  directly  in  front  of  Houston  and  fixed  her 
dry,  burning  eyes  on  his  face,  "my  baby  and  I  are 
all  that  are  left,  all  that  are  left,  all  that  are  left! 
Travis,  Bowie,  Crockett — not  a  man  of  them  is 
left  alive !  Oh,  my  noble  husband !  My  brave  hus- 
band! My  fatherless  babe!  Dead,  dead,  all  are 
dead!" 

"Lady,  my  brave  lady,"  there  was  infinite  tender- 
ness in  Houston's  voice  as  he  spoke  and  the  loving 
gentleness  of  a  father  was  in  the  hand  he  laid  on 
the  head  of  the  anguish-wrung  woman  before  him, 
"the  heart  of  Texas,  of  the  world  bleeds  with  yours 
to-day.  But,  now,  for  your  child's  sake,"  and  softly 
his  hand  passed  from  her  head  to  the  head  of  the 
sleeping  girl  in  her  arms,  "you  must  eat  and  rest; 
and  then  you  will  tell  me  the  story  of  these  heroic 


266  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

men  and  their  glorious  deaths.  Come,  lady,  I  will 
conduct  you  to  where  you  can  find  food  and  rest," 
and  gently,  very  gently  and  tenderly  he  lifted  the 
baby  girl  from  her  arms  into  his,  slipped  her  arm 
through  his,  and,  like  a  king  conducting  a  distressed 
queen,  led  her  from  the  room  to  the  comforting 
arms  and  sympathetic  hearts  of  the  women  of  the 
household. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  MOST  HEROIC  FIGHT  IN  AMERICA 

TWO  hours  later  Trav  and  Tom  were  summoned 
to  the  private  room  of  General  Houston  to  hear 
from  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Dickinson  the  story  of  the 
fall  of  the  Alamo.  They  found  Colonel  Hockley 
and  a  number  of  officers  and  prominent  men  of 
Gonzales  already  there,  sitting  in  a  half  circle  in 
front  of  an  easy  chair,  in  which  sat  Mrs.  Dickinson, 
with  General  Houston  by  her  side.  On  a  lounge 
near  by  lay  her  baby  daughter,  still  sleeping  soundly. 

Mrs.  Dickinson  was  no  longer  hysterical,  and 
spoke  calmly  and  reasonably,  but  the  fires  still 
burned  in  her  dry  eyes  and  her  lips  were  drawn 
and  white.  She  smiled  wanly,  when  she  saw  Trav 
and  Tom,  and  shook  hands  with  each,  and  greeted 
them  with  a  few  brief  sentences;  but  she  spoke  no 
words  of  inquiry  about  Mrs.  McNelly,  nor  Kitty, 
nor  any  of  the  others.  She  was  dead  to  every- 
thing but  her  great  sorrow. 

Trav  and  Tom  made  no  attempt  to  speak  a  word 
of  consolation — what  could  they  say? — but  silently 
clasped  her  hand,  and  then  seated  themselves. 

"Now,  lady,"  and  General  Houston  inclined  his 
267 


268          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

head  gently  to  Mrs.  Dickinson,  "we  would  know 
how  those  noble  heroes  died.  Speak  freely.  You 
are  in  the  midst  of  the  most  sympathetic  friends; 
for  everyone  present  had  dear  relatives  or  loved 
friends  with  brave  Travis  in  the  Alamo,  and  we 
would  know  how  gloriously  they  died." 

For  two  or  three  minutes  Mrs.  Dickinson  sat 
silent,  her  eyes  staring  steadfastly  at  her  hands 
clasped  together  in  her  lap,  then,  without  lifting  her 
eyes  or  unclasping  her  hands,  she  spoke. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-second  of  Feb- 
ruary," she  began,  speaking  slowly  and  in  a  mo- 
notonous undertone,  "my  husband  told  me  that 
Colonel  Travis  was  too  careless,  that  scouts  should 
be  kept  out  constantly  on  the  watch  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  Mexican  army,  but  no  one  imagined  that 
Santa  Anna  was  so  near.  Only  a  day  or  two  be- 
fore a  rumor  had  reached  us  that  the  Mexican 
army  was  at  hand,  and  Colonel  Travis  at  once  had 
sent  out  scouts,  who  returned  without  having  found 
a  sign  of  the  Mexicans.  This  made  us  all  feel 
so  secure,  at  least  for  a  few  days,  that  no  scouts 
were  kept  out  and  only  the  sentinels  on  the  roof 
of  the  church  left  on  guard.  It  was  the  thought 
of  his  wife  and  child  that  made  my  husband  cau- 
tious. 

"That  day  I  visited  at  the  home  of  a  Mexican 
woman,  who  lived  not  far  from  the  church  on  whose 
roof  the  sentinels  stood  guard.  About  the  middle 
of  the  forenoon  we  heard  loud  shouting,  and  both, 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      269 

hurrying  to  the  window,  saw  the  two  sentinels  on 
the  church  roof  pointing  excitedly  off  westward 
over  the  plain  and  heard  them  calling  to  the  soldiers 
below:  The  Mexicans!  The  Mexicans  are  com- 
ing!* But  few,  even  then,  believed  them,  and  only 
two  horsemen  were  sent  out  to  reconnoiter,  while 
my  Mexican  friend  and  I  returned  to  our  visiting, 
and  soon  had  forgotten  what  we  took  to  be  the 
needless  alarm  of  the  sentries. 

"Possibly  a  couple  of  hours  passed;  and  then, 
suddenly,  we  were  again  startled  by  loud  cries  and 
sounds  of  the  wildest  excitement,  now  coming  from 
the  streets  outside.  I  caught  my  little  girl  up  in 
my  arms  and  rushed  to  the  door.  The  street  was 
the  scene  of  the  wildest  confusion.  Texan  soldiers 
were  racing  up  and  down  its  length,  shouting  to 
their  comrades,  who  had  carelessly  been  allowed  to 
scatter  throughout  the  town:  The  Mexicans,  the 
Mexicans  are  coming!  To  the  Alamo!  To  the 
Alamo!"  Officers  on  horseback  dashed  by,  yelling 
the  command  to  every  soldier  they  saw:  To  the 
Alamo !  Everybody  to  the  Alamo  F  Excited  Mex- 
ican men  and  women  and  children  were  everywhere; 
and  cries  of  'Santa  Anna,  viva  Santa  Anna!'  min- 
gled with  the  commands  of  the  officers  and  the 
shouts  of  the  Texan  soldiers.  Off  in  the  direction 
of  Prospect  Hill  I  could  hear  the  firing  of  many 
guns. 

"As  I  stood  in  the  door,  holding  my  baby  tightly 
in  my  arms,  the  dread  and  the  horror  that  only  a 


270          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

woman  can  know  at  such  times  trembling  in  my 
heart,  praying  for  the  coming  of  my  husband,  I 
heard  a  glad  shout:  'Here  she  is,  Lieutenant!' 
and  Davy  Crockett,  his  long  rifle  in  his  hand,  a 
smile  even  then  on  his  face,  sprang  to  my  side,  fol- 
lowed almost  instantly  by  my  husband  mounted  on 
his  horse.  Davy  caught  the  baby  out  of  my  arms, 
and  my  husband  swung  me  upon  the  saddle  in  front 
of  him.  'Just  to  sweeten  my  mouth  for  the  bitter 
taste  of  them  Greasers/  and  Davy,  snatching  a  kiss 
from  my  darling's  lips,  laughed  and  tossed  her  back 
into  my  arms,  and  we  were  off  for  the  Alamo." 

Mrs.  Dickinson  paused  for  a  minute  or  two,  while 
her  clasped  hands  worked  convulsively  in  her  lap. 
Evidently  she  was  thinking  of  the  brave  man  whose 
strong  arms  would  never  again  bear  her  and  her 
child  from  danger  and  death  to  safety. 

"When  the  Mexicans  reached  the  town,"  she  re- 
sumed, after  the  hands  had  again  become  still  in 
the  lap  and  the  slight  flush  had  faded  from  the 
white  cheeks,  "they  sent  a  flag,  demanding  the  im- 
mediate surrender  of  all  the  Texans.  Colonel 
Travis  answered  the  demand  with  a  cannon  shot; 
and  hardly  had  the  smoke  of  the  cannon  cleared 
away,  when  we  saw,  floating  above  the  church 
tower  of  San  Fernando,  the  Mexican's  blood-red 
flag  of  no  quarter,  and  knew  that  Santa  Anna  had 
decreed  that  the  fight  was  to  be  to  the  death.  The 
men  cheered  that  dreadful  flag,  as  if  it  were  a  joyful 
sight,  and  shouted  back  defiance  to  Santa  Anna 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      271 

and  all  Mexico ;  but  I  saw  my  husband's  eyes  turn 
anxiously  to  where  I  was  standing,  and  a  few  min- 
utes later  he  came  and  told  me  to  go  within  the 
Compound  and  stay  behind  its  thick  walls,  where 
there  would  be  less  danger  from  the  shells  and 
cannon  balls  of  the  Mexicans.  A  short  time  after 
this  the  Mexicans  began  shooting  at  us  with  their 
cannons;  but  they  killed  no  one  and  did  little  dam- 
age. 

"Colonel  Bowie  had  married  a  Mexican  woman, 
and  his  sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Alsbury,  a  niece  of  the 
Mexican  Vice-Governor  Veramendi,  and  her  little 
sister,  came  with  him  to  the  Alamo,  and  remained 
to  nurse  him  after  he  came  down  with  the  fever, 
which  soon  forced  him  to  keep  to  his  bed.  At  first 
we  women,  we  were  all  the  women  there  were  in 
the  place,  except  an  old  Mexican  serving  woman, 
trembled  at  the  sound  of  every  cannon  shot,  and 
shuddered  and  held  our  ears  whenever  a  shell  burst ; 
but,  after  the  first  few  hours  of  the  siege,  we  grew 
accustomed  to  the  sounds  and  paid  little  attention 
to  them,  so  long  as  we  were  behind  the  thick  walls 
of  the  mission  buildings. 

"Of  course  we  women  did  not  see  much  of  the 
actual  fighting  going  on  between  the  Mexicans  sur- 
rounding the  Alamo  and  our  men  behind  its  walls 
— we  were  not  allowed  to  expose  ourselves;  but 
my  husband,  who  passed  all  the  time  he  could  spare 
from  his  duties  with  me,  kept  us  well  informed.  At 
first  he  laughed  and  joked  a  great  deal  about  the 


272  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

poor  shooting  of  the  Mexicans  and  how,  when 
Fannin  came  with  his  four  hundred  men,  they 
would  drive  Santa  Anna  and  his  army  of  convicts 
back  across  the  Rio  Grande.  But,  as  day  after 
day  went  by  without  a  sign  of  the  coming  of  Fannin, 
and  the  Mexican  army  grew  in  strength  every  day, 
until  it  must  have  numbered  between  three  and  four 
thousand  men,  and  the  food  and  the  ammunition 
both  became  scarcer — matters  that  we  had  wit 
enough  to  find  out  for  ourselves,  for  neither  my 
husband  nor  any  of  the  men  ever  hinted  to  us 
women  the  real  hopelessness  of  our  situation — my 
husband's  laughter  and  jokes  became  less  and  less 
frequent,  although  he  tried  always  to  appear  cheer- 
ful and  hopeful,  and  I  could  see  a  mournful  ten- 
derness in  his  eyes  whenever  they  rested  upon  me 
and  baby,  and  knew  without  being  told  that  the  end 
was  very  near." 

Again  Mrs.  Dickinson  paused,  and  the  lines  about 
her  mouth  tightened,  and  the  hands  in  her  lap 
gripped  each  other  until  the  cords  showed  white, 
and  her  whole  form  shook  with  pent-in  emotions; 
but  she  never  once  lifted  the  gaze  of  her  eyes  from 
her  lap,  nor  changed  by  the  fraction  of  an  inch  the 
rigid  uprightness  of  her  body,  and,  when  after  a 
few  moments  she  regained  her  self-control  and  con- 
tinued her  story,  she  spoke  in  the  same  monotonous 
undertone. 

"Very  early  Sunday  morning,  the  day  the  final 
assault  was  made,"  she  went  on,  her  voice  not  much 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      273 

above  a  whisper  but  heard  distinctly  by  everyone 
in  the  room,  "my  husband  came  to  the  cell-like 
room,  where  I  and  baby  and  Mrs.  Alsbury  and  her 
sister  slept.  In  the  light  of  the  torch  he  carried 
his  face  showed  white  and  drawn,  and  I  knew  the 
moment  his  eyes  looked  into  my  eyes,  so  full  of 
agony  and  tenderness  were  they,  that  the  worst 
had  come.  Without  a  word  he  bent  quickly  and 
picked  baby  up  from  where  she  lay  asleep,  and  held 
her  close  in  his  arms,  and  kissed  her  again  and 
again,  until  she  awoke;  then,  still  not  speaking,  he 
slipped  one  arm  around  me  and  drew  me  tenderly 
to  him. 

"  What  is  it?  What  is  it?'  I  whispered,  cling- 
ing close  to  him  and  trembling  so  I  could  hardly 
stand.  Before  he  uttered  a  word,  I  knew  what  his 
answer  would  be.  I  read  it  in  the  agony  that 
looked  from  his  eyes  into  mine,  into  mine  and 
baby's. 

"  The  Mexicans  are  preparing  to  attack  the 
Alamo  on  all  sides  at  once  in  overwhelming  num- 
bers, dear,'  he  said.  'I  have  come  to  say  good-by 
to  you  and  baby,  until — '  he  hesitated  and  the  arm 
around  me  tightened,  'until  after  the  fight.  Lis- 
ten !  You  can  hear  their  calls  to  battle.' 

"And  then,  as  we  stood  silent  in  the  stillness  of 
the  dimly  lighted  room  and  listened  intently,  I 
heard,  coming  through  the  peaceful  morning  air, 
the  sounds  of  far-off  bugles,  the  beatings  of  drums, 
the  rattling  of  arms,  and  the  shoutings  of  men. 


274          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

:  'Here,  take  this,  but  use  it  only  in  the  utmost 
extremity/  and  my  husband,  slipping  his  arm  from 
around  me,  thrust  his  hand  into  the  bosom  of  his 
blouse  and  drew  out  a  long,  keen-bladed  Mexican 
dagger,  and  placed  it  in  my  hand.  'The  Mexican 
soldiers  are  devils.  The  knife  before  them,  but  only 
in  the  last  extremity.  Do  not  stir  from  this  room. 
Keep  the  door  fast  locked.  I  will  come  again  when 
I  can,  but  now  I  must  go,  I  must  go/  and  he  was 
gone,  leaving  me  standing  with  baby  crying  in  my 
arms,  and  Mrs.  Alsbury  and  her  little  sister  star- 
ing white-faced  after  him,  and  the  far-off  sounds  of 
the  gathering  Mexican  army  in  my  ears. 

"I  quieted  baby  and  laid  her  back  sleeping  in  her 
little  bed ;  and  then  I  went  and  stood  by  the  single 
small  window  of  our  cell-like  room,  with  Mrs.  Als- 
bury and  her  sister  standing  close  by  my  side,  and 
waited — waited  with  the  Mexican  dagger  hidden 
in  the  bosom  of  my  dress. 

"The  room  where  we  stood  was  a  small  arched 
enclosure  in  the  sacristy  of  the  church,  and  its  one 
narrow  window  looked  out  through  thick  stone  into 
the  walled  yard  of  the  convent.  The  yard-walls 
and  the  convent  building  prevented  us  from  seeing 
the  Mexican  army  advancing  to  the  attack,  but  we 
could  see  the  brave  defenders,  hurrying  through 
the  yard  to  the  walls  and  the  flat  roof  of  the  con- 
vent, and  could  hear  the  heavy  tramping  of  their 
feet  on  the  church  roof  over  our  heads.  The  sun 
had  not  yet  risen,  but  the  early  light  of  dawn  was 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      275 

in  the  air,  and  I  could  see  the  men  on  the  walls  and 
roofs  distinctly. 

"Perhaps  ten  minutes  passed  after  my  husband 
left  me,  when  I  heard  a  loud  blare  of  bugles,  the 
sound  beginning  to  the  west  and  seemingly  circling 
round  the  Alamo. 

"  The  charge !  It  is  the  charge !  Holy  Mother, 
protect  us,  it  is  the  Mexicans  sounding  the  charge !' 
cried  the  little  woman  by  my  side,  covering  her  face 
with  her  hands." 

"The  blare  of  the  bugles  was  almost  instantly 
followed  by  a  burst  of  music  from  the  regimental 
bands.  We  could  hear  them  clearly;  and,  at  the 
first  sound  of  their  strains,  the  little  Mexican 
woman  shivered  and  crouched  down  on  the  floor, 
her  little  sister  clinging  tightly  to  her. 

"  'Mary,  tender  Mary,  pity  us !'  she  wailed.  'It 
is  the  Deguello,  the  Cutthroat,  they  play!  They 
will  murder  us  all!  Holy  Mother  of  sorrows, 
guard  us.' 

"I  saw  the  Texans  on  the  roof  of  the  convent 
and  on  the  walls,  standing  grimly  side  by  side,  their 
long  rifles  in  their  hands.  I  heard  the  dreadful 
music  coming  nearer  and  nearer,  the  commands  of 
the  officers  growing  louder  and  louder,  and  above 
the  music  and  the  commands  the  deepening  roar  of 
the  hoarse  cries  of  the  advancing  thousands,  shout- 
ing: 'Kill  the  foreigners!  Kill  the  rebels!  Kill, 
kill,  kill!'  Then  from  the  roof  of  the  church  a 
cannon  roared;  and  I  saw  the  men  on  the  roof  of 


276          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  convent  kneel  suddenly  behind  the  parapet,  their 
rifles  to  their  shoulders;  and  then,  from  all  around 
and  from  the  roof  above  our  heads,  burst  a  deafen- 
ing crash  of  sounds,  and  clouds  of  smoke  rose  above 
the  walls  of  the  convent,  through  which  I  saw  the 
moving  forms  of  the  Texans  and  the  red  flames 
of  cannons  and  rifles,  and  heard  the  fierce,  terrible 
cries  of  fighting  men.  Demons,  demons  they 
sounded  like!"  . 

A  shudder  ran  from  head  to  foot  through  Mrs. 
Dickinson's  body,  and  involuntarily  she  lifted  her 
hands  and  clapped  them  over  her  ears,  as  if  she 
still  heard  those  dreadful  sounds  of  battle,  and  her 
voice,  which  during  the  last  few  sentences  had  be- 
come louder  and  louder,  rose  almost  into  a  yell  as 
she  uttered  the  last  words. 

"Lady,  lady,"  and  General  Houston  laid  a  strong 
hand  soothingly  on  the  agitated  woman's  head. 
"Lady,  you  are  far  from  those  dreadful  scenes, 
surrounded  by  friends.  Nothing  can  harm  you 
here.  Nothing  can  harm  you  here,"  and  very  gen- 
tly he  pressed  her  hands  down  from  her  ears.  "Do 
not  continue,  if  the  story  agitates  you  too  much. 
We  know,  we  all  know  without  your  telling,  how 
bravely  and  nobly  they  died." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you.  I  will  control  myself. 
The  story  must  be  told.  I  owe  it  to  my  husband, 
to  the  brave  men  who  fell  with  him,  that  Texas, 
the  world,  should  know  how  they  died,"  and  once 
again  she  clasped  her  thin  hands  tightly  together 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      277 

in  her  lap,  and  stared  steadfastly  at  them  with  her 
burning  eyes. 

"For  many  minutes  that  dreadful  firing  contin- 
ued/' she  began,  again  in  the  monotonous  under- 
tone, "and  soon  the  smoke  was  so  thick  I  could 
see  the  men,  only  when  the  swirling  air  lifted  it, 
and  showed  them  loading  and  shooting  as  fast  as 
swift  hands  could  ram  powder  and  balls  home  and 
lift  rifles  to  shoulders.  Then,  suddenly,  I  heard 
the  Texans  cheering  wildly,  and  a  minute  later  my 
husband  came  running  through  the  smoke  to  the 
window  where  I  stood,  his  face  black  with  the  grime 
of  battle  and  his  eyes  shining. 

"  We  have  beat  them  back !'  he  cried.  'We  have 
beat  them  back !  I  felt  as  if  I  must  tell  you.  Hold 
the  baby  up  where  I  can  see  her  face.  But  they 
will  come  again.  Now  I  must  be  going/  and,  with 
a  hungry  look  into  baby's  face  and  mine,  he  hurried 
back  to  his  men. 

"For  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  lull  in  the  firing, 
and  the  smoke  of  battle  rose  in  the  air  and  hung 
in  a  cloud  above  the  Alamo.  Powder-blackened 
men  hurried  by  the  window  where  I  stood,  carrying 
water  and  ammunition  to  their  comrades  on  the 
roofs  and  walls,  and,  as  they  passed,  they  joked 
and  laughed,  like  schoolboys  on  a  frolic;  and  yet, 
there  was  not  one  among  them  who  did  not  know 
what  the  end  was  to  be.  On  the  roof  of  the  con- 
vent, behind  a  rampart  of  sand  bags,  I  saw  Davy 
Crockett.  He  was  loading  rifles;  and,  as  soon  as 


278  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

he  had  loaded  one,  he  would  smile  and  nod  his 
head  and  lean  it  up  against  the  sand  bags,  within 
quick  reach  of  his  hand.  Already  there  were  six 
rifles  standing  in  the  row  of  loaded  guns  leaning 
against  the  sand  bags.  With  the  seventh  gun  in 
his  hand,  I  saw  him  suddenly  pause,  drop  the  un- 
loaded gun,  catch  up  one  of  the  loaded  rifles,  throw 
it  to  his  shoulder  and  almost  instantly  fire;  and, 
almost  at  the  same  moment,  the  crash  of  the  dread- 
ful sounds  of  the  firing  guns  and  the  fierce  yells 
of  the  men  began  again,  more  terrible  than  before, 
and  the  smoke  of  the  powder  rose  thickly  and  hung 
in  heavy  clouds  above  the  Alamo. 

"Again  and  again  I  saw  Davy  Crockett  throw  a 
rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  fire,  until  the  six  guns 
were  emptied.  I  saw  him  reload  again  and  again 
and  fire;  and  then  the  thick  smoke  settled  down 
between  us  and  hid  the  convent  from  my  sight. 

"So  far  I  had  not  seen  a  Mexican;  but  now," 
and  a  shudder  ran  through  her  frame,  "the  heads 
of  dark-faced  men  began  appearing  above  the  walls 
of  the  convent  yard,  and  I  saw  the  clubbed  rifles  of 
the  Texans  knocking  them  back,  knocking  them 
back  until  their  arms  must  have  grown  weary  with 
the  knocking,  but  still  the  row  of  heads  along  the 
top  of  the  wall  grew  thicker  and  thicker  each  mo- 
ment, and  soon  shoulders  were  appearing,  and  then, 
with  a  wild  yell,  two  Mexicans  leaped  over  the  wall 
inside  the  yard.  Before  their  feet  touched  the 
ground  the  knives  of  the  Texans  had  killed  them. 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      279 

But  now  the  top  of  the  wall  was  swarming  with 
Mexicans  — they  were  dropping  to  the  ground  like 
apples  shaken  from  a  tree,  and  soon  the  whole  con- 
vent yard  was  a  wild  turmoil  of  fighting,  dying  men. 

"The  Texans  fought  like  lions  among  an  over- 
whelming, barking,  biting  pack  of  hounds.  They 
uttered  no  sounds,  but  struck,  struck,  struck,  with 
knives  and  clubbed  rifles ;  and,  when  one  went  down, 
there  was  a  circle  of  dead  Mexicans  around  him. 
No  quarter  was  asked,  nor  thought  of.  Each 
fought,  until  he  fell  dead  fighting.  Not  a  coward, 
not  a  shirker  among  them.  From  the  convent  roof, 
from  the  church  roof,  the  rifles,  even  the  cannon,  of 
the  Texans  were  turned  on  the  Mexicans  in  the 
convent  yard,  until  their  dead  covered  the  ground ; 
but  still  they  swarmed  over  the  walls,  and  slowly, 
but  surely,  like  a  hundred  dogs  clinging  to  a  lion, 
were  worrying  the  Texans  to  death. 

"A  terrible,  a  horrible  scene  for  a  woman  to  look 
on ;  but  I  could  not  force  my  eyes  away — not  until 
the  fighting  came  close  up  to  the  window,  and  a 
drop  of  Texan  blood  splashed  on  my  face.  Then 
I  must  have  fell  fainting  to  the  floor;  for  the  next 
thing  I  remember  I  was  lying  on  the  floor,  with 
baby  screaming  in  my  ears  and  the  wild-eyed  Mex- 
ican woman  praying  over  me. 

"  'Grace  of  Mary!  Holy  Virgin,  help!  Mother 
of  Sorrows,  protect  us!  The  men  are  fiends — 
devils !  They  can  only  kill !  kill !  kill !' — Never  can 
I  forget  that  wailing  voice,  nor  the  agony  and  fear 


280          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  horror  in  her  white  face  and  wild  upturned 
eyes.1 

"The  door  of  the  room  we  were  in  shook.  The 
Mexican  woman  shrieked,  caught  up  her  sister,  and 
fled  to  the  farthest  corner  of  the  room,  where  she 
crouched,  burying  their  heads  in  the  folds  of  her 
mantilla.  I  seized  my  baby  in  my  arms  and  began 
to  pray — my  eyes  on  the  door. 

"  'It  is  I !  It  is  I,  your  husband !  Open,  open 
quick!'  and  again  the  door  shook  under  the  heavy 
blows  of  a  strong  man ;  but  it  was  a  full  minute  be- 
fore I  recovered  wit  enough  to  recognize  my  hus- 
band's voice.  Then  I  flew  to  the  door. 

"My  God,  what  a  sight !  Blood,  blood  from  head 
to  foot!  But  still  my  husband,  and  alive!  Baby 
shrunk  from  him;  but  he  tore  her  from  my  arms, 
and  seized  me  by  the  arm. 

"Come,  the  powder  magazine  is  near  here,  and 
we  are  going  to  fire  it,  before  the  last  man  falls. 
Come,"  and,  holding  baby  in  his  arms,  he  pulled 
me  from  the  room. 

"The  church  was  full  of  powder  smoke,  and, 
through  the  smoke  and  in  the  red  flames  of  pistols 
and  rifles,  I  saw  men  fighting  behind  us,  in  front 
of  us,  all  around  us;  but,  with  a  shout,  'Go  ahead, 
Davy  Crockett!'  dear  old  Davy  leaped  before  my 
husband,  and  with  bowie-knife  and  rifle  made  a 
road  of  safety  for  us. 

"Near  the  entrance  to  the  church  there  is  a  small 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      281 

vaulted  room,  and  thither  my  husband  hurried  me. 
As  I  entered  this  room  I  heard  the  deep  voice  of 
Bowie,  who  lay  on  his  bed  in  the  baptistry  oppo- 
site, calling  down  maledictions  on  Santa  Anna  and 
all  Mexicans  and  cursing  the  sickness  that  kept  him 
from  the  fight.  At  the  door  my  husband  caught 
me  in  his  arms,  kissed  baby  and  me  as  he  would 
the  face  of  the  dying,  and  thrust  baby  into  my 
arms — 'Don't  forget  the  dagger,'  and  the  heavy 
door  had  swung  shut  between  us  and  he  had  gone, 
before  I  knew  what  he  was  doing.  I  never  saw 
him  alive  again." 

Mrs.  Dickinson  stopped  abruptly,  and  sat  for  a 
minute  without  speaking,  clasping  and  unclasping 
her  hands  in  her  lap,  her  lips  tightening  over  her 
teeth,  and  her  sunken  eyes  seeming  to  sink  still 
further  back  into  her  head.  No  one  in  the  room 
spoke,  no  one  moved,  and  the  tense  whiteness  of 
each  face  showed  how  deeply  the  tale  had  stirred 
her  listeners. 

"I  do  not  remember  what  followed,"  she  con- 
tinued, when  she  again  had  her  emotions  under 
control.  "I  was  in  too  great  agony  of  soul  to  com- 
prehend anything  clearly.  But,  like  one  in  a  hor- 
rible dream,  I  heard  the  crash  and  roar  of  the  fight 
outside,  coming  nearer — receding — coming  yet 
nearer.  Then  it  crashed  against  the  door;  and  I 
gripped  baby  tightly  to  my  breast  with  one  arm, 
while  the  hand  of  the  other  clutched  the  haft  of 


282          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  dagger  in  my  bosom,  and  stood  waiting,  wait- 
ing, half  stupefied  by  the  dread  and  horror  of  it  all, 
for  the  end. 

"With  a  great  splintering  of  wood  the  door  burst 
open,  and  I  saw  the  opening  crowded  with  blood- 
covered,  fiendish  faces;  and  then,  before  my  hand 
could  draw  the  dagger,  baby,  in  the  wildest  par- 
oxysm of  fright,  threw  her  little  arms  around  my 
neck,  and  clung  there  so  tightly  that  I  could  not 
withdraw  the  hand  that  held  the  dagger  until  too 
late,  and  the  Mexican  soldiers  had  rushed  forward 
and  seized  me.  They  tore  baby  violently  from  me, 
and  pulled  me,  shrieking  and  struggling,  from  the 
room,  out  into  the  slaughter  pen  of  the  church. 
Like  wolves  tearing  at  a  lamb,  they  snarled  and 
fought  for  my  poor  body.  A  huge  brute  tore  me 
from  my  captor.  'Kill!  Kill!'  he  shouted,  and 
joyfully  I  saw  his  dripping  knife  raised  above  my 
bosom.  But,  before  he  could  strike,  a  sword  blade 
struck  the  upraised  wrist,  half  severing  it,  and, 
with  a  howl  of  pain  and  rage,  the  brute  dropped 
the  knife,  and  turned  to  look  into  the  muzzle  of  a 
loaded  pistol  and  back  of  the  pistol  the  flaming 
eyes  of  a  Mexican  officer. 

"  'Dogs !  Cowards !'  cried  the  officer,  clearing  a 
space  around  me  with  his  sword.  'Would  you  kill 
a  woman  and  her  baby?  There  are  yet  men  for 
your  weapons,  if  you  have  the  courage  to  face  them/ 
and  he  pointed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  church, 
where  a  few  Texans  still  stood  fighting  with  knives 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      283 

and  clubbed  rifles  in  front  of  Bowie's  door. 
'Quick!  Back  into  the  room,  lady/  and  the  officer, 
lifting  baby  up  into  my  arms,  quickly  pushed  me 
through  the  door.  'Do  not  use  the  dagger,  lady/ 
and  he  glanced  at  the  weapon  in  my  hand.  'Not  a 
hair  of  your  head  shall  be  harmed.  I,  Colonel  Al- 
monte, swear  it/  and,  turning,  he  gave  a  sharp 
command  to  two  soldiers,  who,  with  crossed  bay- 
onets, stationed  themselves  in  front  of  the  door, 
with  orders  to  kill  any  who  attempted  to  enter. 

"In  a  half  stupor  I  sank  to  the  floor,  baby  pressed 
tightly  to  my  bosom,  and,  through  the  dismantled 
door,  between  the  bodies  of  my  guards,  watched, 
with  shuddering  horror,  the  struggle  at  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  church.  I  saw  the  Texans  go 
down,  one  by  one,  until  the  last  one  had  fallen.  I 
saw  the  Mexicans  rush  over  their  bodies  and  burst 
in  the  door  of  the  room  where  the  sick  Bowie  lay. 
I  heard  Bowie's  yell  of  defiance,  and  the  crack — 
crack — crack  of  his  pistols,  and  saw  half  a  dozen 
Mexicans  go  down  in  the  crowded  doorway;  and 
then  the  room  was  full  of  a  confusing  swirl  of 
yelling,  shooting  fiends  and  blinding  smoke.  Pres- 
ently the  shouting  Mexicans  came  out  of  the  room, 
bearing  aloft  on  the  points  of  their  bayonets  the 
dead  body  of  Jim  Bowie." 

"Now,  of  the  hundred  and  eighty-five  Texans 
that  were  living  men  when  the  fight  began,  only 
half  a  dozen  remained  alive,  and  these  were  still 
fighting,  standing  in  an  angle  of  the  church  near 


284          In  Texas  With*  Davy  Crockett 

the  entrance,  their  backs  to  the  wall,  their  faces 
to  the  snarling  pack  of  Mexicans  that  were  trying 
to  pull  them  down,  a  rampart  of  dead  Mexicans 
around  them.  From  where  I  sat  I  could  see  this 
last  heroic  stand  of  the  bravest  men  that  ever  lived ; 
and,  even  in  that  moment  of  horror,  my  heart 
thrilled  at  the  sight.  How  scornfully  they  defied 
the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  soldiers  of  Santa 
Anna!  How  fearlessly  and  skilfully  they  met  the 
knives  and  bayonets  and  sword  thrusts  of  the 
jackals  around  them! 

"And  foremost  among  this  little  band  of  heroes 
I  saw  the  tall  form  of  Davy  Crockett.  He  was 
bleeding  from  a  gash  across  the  forehead,  his  cloth- 
ing was  torn  and  cut  by  a  hundred  bayonet-thrusts 
and  knife-stabs;  but  still  unconquered  and  un- 
daunted he  swung  the  deadly  barrel  of  his  rifle — 
all  that  was  left  of  his  loved  Betsey — and  struck 
with  his  long  knife;  and  at  every  blow  a  Mexican 
went  down.  One  by  one  his  comrades  fell,  until 
he  stood  alone,  the  last  of  that  heroic  band. 

"For  a  dread  moment  the  fighting  ceased.  The 
cowardly  jackals  paused  in  awe  of  the  terrible 
prowess  of  the  king  lion.  I  heard  Colonel  Almonte 
shout,  'Surrender!'  I  heard  Crockett  answer, 
'Never!'  I  heard  another  officer  yell,  'At  him! 
At  him !'  And  then  the  fight  began  again — a  hun- 
dred, all  that  could  get  within  striking  distance, 
against  one  man. 

"I  saw  him  strike  down  two  men  with  the  rifle 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      285 

barrel.  I  saw  another  fall  back  with  a  knife  thrust 
deep  in  his  heart.  Then  I  saw  a  bayonet  pierce 
deep  into  his  own  brave  breast,  saw  him  sink  down, 
still  striking,  with  a  hundred  knives  and  bayonets 
stabbing  at  him.~jrA  minute  later  and  I  saw  his 
dead  body  tossed  aloft  on  the  points  of  bayonets 
and  borne  outside  the  church." 

Mrs.  Dickinson,  during  the  last  part  of  her  ter- 
rible recital,  had  almost  lived  the  scenes  she  nar- 
rated. Her  voice,  her  face,  her  actions  had  be- 
come vivid  with  passion  and  horror  and  despair. 
She  had  sprung  to  her  feet  and  stood  with  dilating 
eyes  staring  straight  ahead,  but  seeing  nothing 
present,  with  thin  hands  clenching  and  unclenching 
themselves  and  clutching  at  her  throat  and  heart, 
with  voice  trembling  and  shrilling,  as  she  depicted 
those  final  scenes  of  a  heroism  as  glorious  and  as 
noble  as  the  world  has  ever  known;  and  now,  with 
the  last  Texan  dead,  she  sank  back,  panting  and 
breathless,  into  her  chair. 

"There  is  little  more  to  tell,"  she  said,  as  her 
burning  eyes  again  fixed  themselves  on  her  hands 
tightly  clasped  together  in  her  lap.  "That  after- 
noon Colonel  Almonte,  who  I  learned  was  the  aide 
and  favorite  of  Santa  Anna  himself,  conducted  me 
to  his  own  quarters  in  the  town,  and  in  every  way 
treated  me  as  a  gentleman  would  a  lady  in  the  ut- 
most distress.  The  next  day  he  brought  me  word 
from  Santa  Anna,  that  as 'soon  as  I  was  able,  I 
was  to  transmit  the  President's  proclamation  and 


286  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

messages  to  the  Texans  at  Gonzales.  I  told  him 
I  was  ready  to  go  at  once;  but  he  would  not  let 
me  start  until  the  next  morning,  when  I  found  that 
Colonel  Travis's  negro  servant,  who  had  not  been 
discovered  until  after  the  slaughter  was  ended  and 
had  been  spared,  was  to  go  with  me,  accompanied 
by  another  negro  who  was  to  act  as  our  guide.  Not 
until  Colonel  Travis's  negro  told  me,  did  I  know 
that  all  the  dead  bodies  of  the  slaughtered  Texans 
had  been  collected  by  the  orders  of  that  monster, 
Santa  Anna,  piled  together  with  alternate  layers 
of  wood,  and  the  mass  then  heaped  with  dry  brush 
and  set  on  fire.  My  poor  husband !  Oh,  my  poor 
husband,  not  even  to  have  Christian  burial! 
Burnt!  Burnt!  Burnt!"  her  voice  rose  into  a 
wail. 

"Lady,  lady,"  there  was  infinite  tenderness  and 
sadness  in  Houston's  voice.  "Lady,  do  not  let  their 
burning  trouble  you.  In  Homeric  days  the  dead 
demigods  were  laid  on  funeral  pyres  and  their 
bodies  burned.  These  men,  these  Texans,  were 
demigods,  and  it  was  gloriously  fitting  that  their 
bodies,  too,  should  be  burnt  together  in  one  great 
funeral  pyre,  on  the  very  spot  where  they  so  nobly 
died.  Lady,  believe  me,  lady,  Texas  will  not  forget 
your  suffering  nor  your  heroic  sacrifice,  nor,"  and 
his  voice  and  face  hardened,  "will  she  forget  to 
exact  in  full  measure  a  just  accounting  from  that 
iniquitous  monster  of  cruelty,  Santa  Anna,  and  his 
barbarous  myrmidons.  Now,"  and  he  arose  and 


The  Most  Heroic  Fight  In  America      287 

bowed  to  Mrs.  Dickinson  with  courtly  dignity, 
"that  you  have  nobly  done  your  duty  in  recalling 
these  terrible  scenes,  it  remains  for  us  to  do  ours 
in  avenging  them.  Allow  me  to  conduct  you  to 
your  room,  where  you  can  get  the  rest  you  so 
greatly  need,"  and  he  gave  Mrs.  Dickinson  his  arm. 

Mrs.  Dickinson,  now  that  her  sad  story  was 
ended,  had  relapsed  into  the  terrible  apathy  that 
sometimes  comes  when  the  agony  of  soul  seems  to 
have  burnt  dry  all  the  fountains  of  feeling.  Her 
eyes  looked  as  if  they  could  never  shed  another  tear- 
drop. Like  a  human  automaton  she  arose  and  took 
Houston's  arm  and  walked  with  him  toward  the 
lounge  where  lay  her  little  girl.  As  Houston  bent 
over  the  child  to  lift  her  in  his  arms,  she  awoke 
and  stared  up  into  his  face  in  wondering  surprise 
for  a  minute,  then  she  turned,  and,  stretching  out 
her  arms  to  her  mother,  cried :  "I  want  my  papa ! 
I  want  my  papa !  I  want  my  papa !" 

For  a  moment  Mrs.  Dickinson  stood  staring  at 
her  child,  then  the  tears  gushed  to  her  eyes,  and  at 
the  same  instant  all  the  sealed  fountains  of  her  feel- 
ings broke  loose,  and,  sobbing  wildly,  she  caught  the 
baby  up  into  her  arms;  and  with  her  whole  form 
quivering  with  the  outward  gush  of  her  emotions 
and  the  tears  streaming  over  her  baby's  face,  Gen- 
eral Houston,  half  supporting  her,  led  her  from 
the  room. 

Nature  had  given  her  sore-stricken  heart  the  best 
possible  medicine. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

CHASED  BY   MEXICAN   CAVALRY 

WHEN  General  Houston  returned  to  his  room 
a  few  minutes  later,  his  lips  were  set  and 
his  eyes  aflame. 

"We  must  abandon  Gonzales  at  once,  this  very 
night,"  he  said,  "unless  we  wish  to  have  repeated 
the  disaster  of  the  Alamo.  Santa  Anna  and  his 
cutthroat  army  may  reach  here  any  moment,  cer- 
tainly within  the  next  few  hours.  We  must  fall 
back  before  him,  until  we  have  gathered  sufficient 
strength  to  meet  him  with  an  almost  certainty  of 
victory.  Texas  cannot  afford  another  Alamo. 
Fannin  must  also  fall  back.  We  must  unite  our 
forces.  Boys,"  and  he  turned  to  Trav  and  Tom, 
"be  ready  to  start  for  Goliad  in  an  hour.  I  dare 
not  have  you  wait  until  morning.  A  few  hours 
of  delay  might  be  fatal  to  Fannin.  I  will  give  the 
necessary  orders  for  horses  and  food  at  once  and 
write  my  dispatches.  Come  back  ready  for  the 
journey  in  an  hour.  Now,  go.  Every  moment  of 
my  time  is  now  precious  to  Texas,"  and  he  turned 
to  his  officers  and  began  rapidly  giving  them  orders. 

Trav  and  Tom  hastened  from  the  room  to  where 
they  had  left  their  guns  and  other  equipments,  and 

288 


Chased  By  Mexican  Cavalry  289 

at  once  set  about  making  themselves  ready  for  the 
start  to  Goliad.  Both  lads  had  been  greatly  stirred 
by  Mrs.  Dickinson's  story  of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo 
and  the  heroic  death  of  Davy  Crockett,  and  had 
sat  as  if  in  a  trance  while  she  was  telling  it.  And 
now,  not  even  the  dangers  of  the  journey  before 
them,  nor  the  thought  of  Kitty  in  the  hands  of 
Vasquez,  nor  the  deep  anxiety  caused  by  the  ill- 
ness of  Mrs.  McNelly,  could  keep  their  minds  from 
picturing  and  re-picturing  those  heroic  scenes,  when 
that  little  handful  of  heroes  virtually  gave  their  lives 
in  a  glorious  attempt  to  hold  back  the  brutal  hordes 
of  Santa  Anna's  army  long  enough  to  give  the  un- 
protected settlers  along  the  frontier  a  chance  to  es- 
cape and  Texas  time  to  arouse  herself. 

"I — I — "  Trav  was  trying  to  give  voice  to  his 
feelings.  "I  don't  see  how  any  man  in  Texas  can 
knuckle  down  to  Santa  Anna,  after  knowing  how 
Travis  and  his  men  died  in  the  Alamo.  It  was  glo- 
rious, glorious!  And  just  the  telling  of  it  made 
me  feel  as  if  there  wasn't  anything  in  all  the  world 
quite  as  grand  and  noble  as  to  die,  as  they  did, 
for  one's  country.  I  don't  see  how  any  man  in 
Texas  would  dare  to  be  a  coward  now,  with  the 
example  of  the  Alamo  before  him." 

"It  was  grand  and  awful/'  Tom  agreed.  "And 
it  made  me,  too,  feel  as  if  the  greatest  thing  in 
the  world  was  willingly  to  give  up  one's  life  for 
the  good  of  one's  country.  I  don't  think  I  ever 
understood  what  real  patriotism  was  before;  but  I 


290          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

know  now.  Brave,  brave  Davy  Crockett — I — I — " 
His  voice  choked. 

Neither  lad  could  think  of  Davy  Crockett  and 
his  heroic  end,  without  a  lump  coming  into  his 
throat;  and,  for  a  few  minutes,  both  boys  were 
silent,  each  thinking  how  sad  and  terrible  it  was 
that  never  again  would  he  see  that  genial  face 
alight  with  its  whimsical  smile  nor  never  again  hear 
that  rollicking  voice  in  merry  tale  or  loud  laughter 
— But,  there  is  no  need  of  telling  you  boys  how 
Trav  and  Tom  felt  over  the  death  of  brave  Davy 
Crockett,  their  hero.  You  know,  your  own  hearts 
have  already  told  you  better  than  many  words  could 
do  the  telling. 

At  the  end  of  the  hour  Trav  and  Tom  stood  in 
front  of  General  Houston's  quarters,  ready  for  their 
long  and  perilous  ride  to  Fannin  at  Goliad.  It  was 
now  nearing  eleven  o'clock  of  a  cloudless,  moon- 
less night;  but  there  was  no  sleep  nor  quietness  in 
Gonzales.  Everywhere  were  confusion  and  commo- 
tion. Men  and  women  and  children  were  hurrying 
in  and  out  of  the  houses,  wagons  were  being  loaded 
with  the  women  and  children  and  a  few  household 
necessities,  the  soldiers,  some  three  hundred,  were 
drawn  up  ready  to  escort  the  fleeing  people,  hur- 
riedly abandoning  their  homes,  everything,  before 
the  dreaded  advance  of  Santa  Anna  and  his  men. 
It  was  a  scene  that  brought  the  horrors  of  war 
home  to  Trav  and  Tom  in  a  way  they  had  not 
thought  of  before,  and  showed  them  that  war  was 


Chased  By  Mexican  Cavalry  291 

not  all  glorious  fighting  and  heroic  dying,  but  that 
the  old  and  the  feeble,  the  women  and  the  children 
had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  its  sufferings  without  any 
of  its  compensating  honors  and  glories. 

"My  heart  goes  with  you,  my  brave  lads,"  Gen- 
eral Houston  said,  as  he  handed  Trav  and  Tom  his 
message  to  Fannin;  "And,  if  ever  again  you  get 
sight  of  that  villainous  Mexican,  Vasquez,  shoot 
the  infernal  coward  on  the  spot,  shoot  him  for  the 
good  of  humanity.  Now,  remember,  that  you  may 
have  the  lives  of  Fannin  and  his  men  in  your  keep- 
ing, and  spare  neither  your  own  bodies  nor  the 
bodies  of  your  horses  in  getting  to  them  as  quickly 
as  possible.  May  the  God  of  your  country  pro- 
tect you!  Good-by,"  and,  gripping  each  boy  hard 
by  the  hand,  he  turned  away. 

Trav  and  Tom  sprang  into  their  saddles,  Jed 
Watkins,  the  guide  who  was  to  go  with  them,  was 
already  mounted  and  waiting,  and  the  three  rode 
swiftly  out  of  Gonzales,  and  headed  their  horses 
toward  Goliad,  some  hundred  and  thirty  miles  to 
the  south.  An  hour  later  they  reached  a  hill,  and 
looked  backward  through  the  darkness  toward  Gon- 
zales, and  saw  the  skies  lighted  by  the  flames  of 
a  great  fire. 

"They've  burnt  th'  town  down  to  keep  it  from 
sheltering  Santa  Anna  and  his  butchers,"  declared 
Jed  Watkins,  the  guide,  as  his  eyes  rested  on  the 
distant  flames;  "an*  I  reckon  they've  done  jest 
about  th'  proper  thing.  I'd  rather  have  a  skunk 


292  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

a-stoppin'  in  a  house  of  mine  than  one  of  Santa's 
butchers." 

"And  they've  set  fire  to  the  whole  town,  to  their 
own  homes,  the  only  homes  they  have  in  the  world ! 
I  did  not  know  before  that  war  meant  such  ter- 
rible things!"  and  Trav's  face  showed  how  deeply 
the  scenes  of  the  last  few  hours  had  moved  him. 

"War's  somethhY  more  than  marchin'  men, 
young  feller,  an'  flyin'  flags,  an'  playin'  bands,  an' 
firin'  guns.  It's  terrible  on  th'  women  folks  an' 
children ;  an'  thar  ain't  no  glory  in  it  for  them,  only 
tears  an'  sufferin',  an'  like  as  not  a  horrible  death 
by  starvation  or  somethin'  worse.  But,  we've  no 
time  to  spend  philosophizin'  on  th'  evils  of  war, 
like  a  parson.  It's  get  tew  Goliad  for  us.  Come 
on,"  and,  striking  his  spurs  into  his  horse,  he  gal- 
loped down  the  hill  and  on  toward  Goliad,  followed 
by  the  boys. 

The  news  of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo  had  gone  be- 
fore them,  and  every  settler's  house  they  passed  that 
day  was  empty;  but  they  met  many  of  the  fugitives, 
all  hurrying  eastward,  the  dread  of  Santa  Anna 
in  every  heart.  They  had  abandoned  their  homes, 
everything,  and  many  of  them  were  in  a  pitiful  con- 
dition. But  our  three  horsemen  dared  not  pause 
to  render  them  help,  no  matter  how  much  they 
should  have  liked  to  have  done  so;  for  they  were 
on  a  mission  to  save  hundreds  from  a  worse  fate, 
and  the  nearer  Trav  and  Tom  came  to  Goliad  the 
more  anxious  they  became  concerning  the  capture 


Chased  By  Mexican  Cavalry  293 

• 

of  Kitty  and  the  sickness  of  Mrs.  McNelly.  A 
week  had  now  passed  since  they  had  heard  a  word 
from  Goliad,  and  in  those  terrible  times  many  hor- 
rible things  might  happen  in  a  week. 

At  sundown  they  camped,  men  and  horses  utterly 
worn-out;  but,  before  sunrise  the  next  morning, 
they  were  in  their  saddles  again  and  riding  south- 
ward. Fortunately  they  met  no  Mexicans.  Santa 
Anna  and  his  army  had  been  delayed  too  long  by 
the  terrible  fight  at  the  Alamo  to  have  yet  reached 
the  section  of  the  country  through  which  they  were 
riding;  but,  had  they  been  a  day  later,  they  never 
would  have  reached  Goliad  alive.  However,  for- 
tune was  kind  to  them,  and  late  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  third  day  after  leaving  Gonzales,  Jed  Wat- 
kins  pointed  to  a  small  hill  half  a  mile  ahead. 

"If  I'm  kerrek,  an'  I  reckon  I  be,  we  can  see 
Goliad  from  atop  that  hill,"  he  said;  "an'  'twon't 
be  more'n  five  minutes  afore  we  know  whether  or 
not  th'  Mexies  have  got  Fannin,  somethin'  I'm 
mighty  anxious  tew  find  out  afore  we  go  much 
farther,"  and,  striking  his  tired  horse  with  his 
quirt,  he  hurried  toward  the  hilltop,  his  keen  eyes 
searching  every  suspicious  tree  or  bush  or  clump 
of  grass  as  a  possible  lurking  place  for  an  enemy. 

Trav's  and  Tom's  hearts  began  to  thump  vio- 
lently within  their  breasts.  What  would  the  hill- 
top reveal  to  them?  Would  they  see  Goliad  laid 
waste  and  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy,  or  still 
in  the  hands  of  the  Texans?  Would  they  find  their 


294  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

fathers  and  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  safe,  or — at 
the  thought  of  the  horrible  alternative  they  both 
dug  their  spurs  into  their  horses'  flanks  and  gal- 
loped after  Jed  Watkins. 

But,  when  the  foot  of  the  hill  was  reached,  Jed 
Watkins  was  far  too  wary  and  experienced  to  al- 
low a  heedless  rush  to  its  top,  and,  dismounting, 
he  gave  the  reins  of  his  horse  to  Tom  to  hold,  and, 
bidding  the  boys  wait  where  they  were  until  he  gave 
the  signal  that  all  was  safe,  began  creeping  cau- 
tiously toward  a  little  clump  of  bushes  on  the  sum- 
mit, which  would  furnish  him  with  an  effectual 
screen  while  overlooking  the  valley  beyond. 

Trav  and  Tom  watched  him  with  feverish  anx- 
iety. They  saw  him  reach  the  bushes,  saw  him 
carefully  part  them  and  peer  long  and  cautiously 
over  the  prairie  beyond.  Then  they  saw  him  stand 
up,  still  screened  by  the  bushes,  and,  shading  his 
eyes  with  his  hand,  search  all  the  surrounding  coun- 
try with  his  keen  glances.  Suddenly  they  saw  him 
drop  quickly  to  his  hands  and  knees,  and  begin 
crawling  rapidly  toward  them,  until  the  hilltop  hid 
him  from  all  beyond.  Then  he  jumped  to  his  feet 
and  ran  swiftly  to  where  they  stood,  and  sprang 
into  his  saddle. 

"Mexican  cavalry!"  he  panted.  "Not  over  half 
a  mile  tew  th'  left.  Saw  'em  comin'  up  out  of  a 
gully  through  th'  hill.  We  must  try  an'  give  'em 
th'  slip  by  ridin'  tew  th'  right,  until  we  gets  tew 
another  gully  that  I  knows  of  'bout  a  mile  from 


Chased  By  Mexican  Cavalry  295 

here.  Then  we'll  make  a  dash  from  thar  for 
Goliad.  Fannin's  still  holdin'  th'  place;  an*  maybe 
we  can  get  thar  afore  th'  Mexies  can  get  us.  Come 
on/'  and,  wheeling  his  horse,  he  galloped  off  rap- 
idly to  the  right,  keeping  close  to  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  and  casting  many  anxious  glances  behind*  him. 

Trav  and  Tom,  with  a  whitening  of  their  faces 
and  a  tightening  of  their  grips  on  their  rifles,  gal- 
loped after  him. 

They  reached  the  gully  in  safety.  Evidently  the 
Mexican  cavalry  had  no  knowledge  of  their  pres- 
ence. Here,  securely  hidden,  Jed  Watkins  halted. 

"We  must  give  our  hosses  a  bit  of  rest,"  he  said, 
dismounting.  "I'll  jest  scoot  on  ahead  tew  th' 
openin'  of  th'  gully  tew  see  if  th'  coast  is  clear  for 
a  dash.  Hold  my  hoss,  an'  keep  your  ears  open 
an'  your  eyes  peeled.  I'll  be  back  in  a  jiffy,"  and, 
tossing  his  bridle  rein  to  one  of  the  boys,  he  hur- 
ried up  the  gully. 

Trav  and  Tom  did  not  find  it  a  pleasant  task  to 
wait  inactive.  They  longed  for  action,  to  do  some- 
thing that  would  get  them  into  Goliad  as  quickly 
as  possible.  Now  that  they  were  so  near,  every 
moment  of  delay  became  almost  unbearable.  They 
imagined  all  sorts  of  terrible  things  that  might  have 
happened  to  Kitty  and  Mrs.  McNelly.  Even  the 
danger  from  the  Mexican  cavalry  was  almost  for- 
gotten in  their  anxiety  to  get  into  Goliad.  Con- 
sequently they  awaited  the  return  of  Jed  Watkins 
most  impatiently. 


296          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

The  gully  ran  straight  ahead  for  perhaps  a  dozen 
rods,  then  turned,  and  the  boys'  eyes  could  follow 
it  only  to  the  turn.  They  watched  Jed  until  he  dis- 
appeared beyond  this  turn,  and  then  they  watched 
the  turn,  until,  after  an  interval  of  some  ten  min- 
utes, he  reappeared,  running  excitedly  toward 
them. 

"Mount !  Mount !"  he  called,  the  moment  he  came 
in  sight  of  them.  (The  boys  had  dismounted  to 
give  their  horses  all  the  rest  possible.)  "Mount, 
and  ride  tew  meet  me!  It's  now,  or  never!  Th' 
Mexies  are  ridin*  straight  for  this  gully,  but  they're 
still  half  a  mile  away,  an'  it's  not  more'n  a  couple 
of  miles  tew  Goliad.  I  reckon  we  can  make  it,  if 
our  bosses'  legs  don't  gin  out." 

Trav  and  Tom  at  his  first  cry  of  "mount"  had 
sprung  into  their  saddles,  and  while  he  had  been 
speaking  they  had  been  galloping  toward  him,  lead- 
ing his  horse.  The  moment  they  met,  Jed,  without 
stopping  the  horse,  jumped  on  his  back. 

"Get  your  guns  in  workin'  trim,"  he  cried,  as  he 
galloped  up  alongside  of  Trav  and  Tom.  "We 
might  have  tew  dew  some  shootin',  jest  tew  sort 
of  warn  them  vermint  we  ain't  wantin'  none  of 
their  company." 

Beyond  the  turn  already  mentioned,  the  gully 
ran  some  twenty  rods,  and  then  opened,  abruptly 
on  the  prairie  beyond,  having  cut  a  ragged  gash 
through  the  hills.  In  two  minutes  the  three  horse- 
men had  arrived  at  this  opening,  and,  in  another 


Chased  By  Mexican  Cavalry  297 

minute,  were  galloping  at  full  speed  across  the  level 
prairie  toward  the  hills  of  Goliad. 

Trav  and  Tom,  as  they  dashed  out  on  the  prairie, 
glanced  swiftly  to  the  left.  The  Mexicans  were 
there,  a  couple  of  dozen  or  more  of  them,  riding 
slowly,  close  to  the  foot  of  the  hills.  For  a  few 
minutes  they  did  not  appear  to  see  the  galloping 
horsemen.  Then  the  boys  saw  them  suddenly  stop, 
stare  in  their  direction  for  an  instant,  and  then, 
with  a  shout,  dig  their  spurs  into  their  horses'  sides 
and  gallop  furiously  after  them.  The  race  for  life 
was  on. 

At  the  start  the  Mexicans  were  a  good  half  a 
mile  behind;  but  they  were  well-mounted,  on  com- 
paratively fresh  horses,  and  the  horses  of  the  boys 
and  their  guide  had  been  ridden  hard  all  day,  and 
were  absolutely  incapable  of  any  great  or  prolonged 
burst  of  speed.  Consequently  the  horses  of  our 
friends  held  their  own  in  the  mad  race  for  only  a 
few  minutes,  then  both  their  wind  and  their  legs 
began  to  fail,  and  an  anxious  backward  glance 
showed  Jed  Watkins  that  they  were  being  over- 
hauled rapidly  by  the  Mexican  cavalry. 

"Turn  in  your  saddles  an'  gin  'em  a  shot,"  he 
called  to  Trav  and  Tom.  "They're  gainin'  on  us 
like  a  house  afire,  an'  maybe  th'  noise  of  your 
guns'll  call  th'  'tention  of  some  of  Fannin's  men  tew 
us,"  and  he  glanced  anxiously  toward  the  distant 
hill,  behind  whose  fortified  walls  were  Fannin  and 
safety. 


298  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Trav  and  Tom,  dropping  the  reins  of  their  bridles 
and  throwing  their  rifles  to  their  shoulders,  turned 
in  their  saddles  when  the  pursuing  Mexicans  were 
in  range,  and  fired.  To  their  astonishment,  for 
neither  lad  had  the  slightest  idea  of  being  able  to 
make  a  hit,  the  foremost  of  their  pursuers  threw  up 
his  hands  and  tumbled  from  his  horse. 

"Hurra !"  yelled  Jed  joyously.  "I  reckon  that'll 
take  some  of  th'  ginger  out  of  their  bosses'  legs. 
Jimmina,  but  that  was  a  mighty  purty  shot!  Bet 
you  can't  do  it  agin!  Hi,  look  thar!"  and  he 
pointed  excitedly  toward  Goliad. 

As  he  spoke  the  boys  saw  the  gates  of  the  fort 
on  the  hill  thrown  wide  open,  and  a  small  body  of 
horsemen  dash  through  them,  and,  with  loud  cheers, 
gallop  swiftly  down  the  hill. 

The  fall  of  their  comrade  did  not  delay  the 
Mexicans  an  instant ;  but,  with  loud  cries  of  venge- 
ance, they  rode  more  furiously  than  ever,  gaining 
so  rapidly  on  the  failing  horses  of  the  Texans,  that, 
to  the  anxious  eyes  of  Jed  Watkins,  it  seemed  as 
if  they  must  be  overtaken  before  their  rescuers 
from  the  fort  could  come  within  shooting  distance. 

"Faster !  Faster !"  he  cried  to  the  boys,  "or  them 
skunks'll  get  us  yit,"  and  with  voice  and  whip 
and  spur  he  urged  his  poor  horse  to  do  his  utmost. 

But  their  laboring  horses,  having  already  done 
their  best,  were  losing  instead  of  gaining  speed,  and 
the  Mexicans  were  drawing  near  more  rapidly  with 
every  passing  moment.  Now  they  began  to  shoot, 


Suddenly  Tom's  horse  stumbled,  throwing  the  boy  over  his  head. 


Chased  By  Mexican  Cavalry  299 

and  the  boys  heard  the  bullets  singing  spitefully 
by  their  ears.  Then,  suddenly,  without  warning, 
Tom's  horse  stumbled  and  fell  headlong,  throwing 
the  boy  over  his  head  to  the  ground. 

Trav  saw  him  fall,  heard  the  shout  of  triumph 
from  the  Mexicans,  now  not  fifty  rods  behind ;  and, 
without  an  instant's  hesitation,  wheeled  his  horse 
and  rushed  to  Tom's  rescue. 

"Th'  gol-darned  idjit!  Now  they'll  get  th'  hull 
on  us,"  and,  with  a  jerk,  Jed  Watkins  yanked  his 
horse  about  and  threw  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder. 
For  an  instant  he  sat,  like  a  bronze  statue  on  his 
panting  horse,  then  his  long  rifle  flamed,  and  a 
moment  later  the  foremost  horse  of  the  pursuers 
was  racing  riderless  over  the  prairie.  Again  the 
long  rifle  flamed — it  had  two  barrels,  and  again  a 
Mexican  horse  was  riderless.  At  the  same  moment 
a  cannon  boomed  from  the  fort,  and  the  oncoming 
Texans,  though  still  at  long  range,  fired. 

This  was  more  than  Mexican  courage  could 
stand,  and,  by  the  time  Trav  had  Tom,  who  had 
jumped  unhurt  to  his  feet,  on  his  horse  behind  him, 
the  Mexicans  had  whirled  their  horses  about,  and 
were  racing  back  even  faster  than  they  had  come. 

A  few  minutes  later  the  little  body  of  Texan 
horsemen  swept  by  the  boys,  cheering  wildly,  and 
continued  on  after  the  fleeing  Mexicans. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  PRICE  OF  OBSTINACY 

HPHE  first  person  to  meet  Trav  and  Tom  outside 
*  of  the  walls  of  the  fort  was  Mrs.  McNelly. 
She  came  running  through  the  open  gate,  as  they 
walked  up  the  hill  leading  their  weary  horses  be- 
hind them,  and  threw  herself,  sobbing,  into  Trav's 
strong  young  arms. 

"Kitty?  Father?  What  has  happened  ?  Mother, 
tell  me,"  and  Trav  looked  with  trembling  appre- 
hension into  the  thin  white  face  of  his  mother, 
where  suffering  and  anguish  of  heart  had  so  plainly 
left  their  marks. 

"My  boy,  my  brave  boy !  Thank  God,  I  still  have 
you  safe!"  and  Mrs.  McNelly  clung  the  tighter  to 
Trav. 

"But,  mother,  mother,  tell  me  what  has  happened 
to  father  and  Kitty!  Tell  me!"  cried  Trav,  his 
heart  wrung  with  anguish  and  fear. 

"Vasquez  has  Kitty,"  Mrs.  McNelly  replied,  con- 
trolling herself  with  difficulty  sufficiently  to  an- 
swer Trav's  appeal.  "He  stole  her  the  day  you 
left.  The  next  day  your  father  and  Jonas  and 
Long  Bill,  the  hunter,  started  to  find  and  rescue 
Kitty;  and  from  that  moment  to  this  I  have  not 

300 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  301 

seen  them  nor  heard  a  word  from  them,  only  this," 
and  she  thrust  her  hand  in  the  bosom  of  her  dress 
and  drew  out  a  crumpled  piece  of  paper  and  handed 
it  to  Trav,  while  the  look  of  anguish  on  her  face 
deepened. 

Trav  seized  the  paper,  smoothed  it  out  with 
trembling  fingers,  and  read: 

"To  wife  of  Big  Sam  McNelly,  who 
crack  Mexican  skulls  with  bare  fists. 

"You  no  husband  now — no  girl  now. 
He  my  slave.  Whip,  whip,  whip,  every 
day.  She  my  slave.  Make  do  all  dirty 
work. 

"Mexican  arm  of  vengeance  long. 
Reach  round  world,  and  strike,  strike, 
strike.  VASQUEZ." 

"Mother,  how  did  you  get  this?  When  did  you 
get  this?"  Trav  cried,  his  face  as  white  as  chalk, 
as  he  handed  the  paper  to  Tom,  whose  own  face 
whitened  as  he  read. 

"This  morning.  Found  it  pinned  to  my  pillow," 
and  she  shuddered.  "How  it  got  there,  no  one 
knows.  I  fear — I  fear — oh  God,  give  me  back  my 
husband  and  my  girl!"  and  Mrs.  McNelly,  her 
stoicism  all  gone  under  this  doubly  terrible  afflic- 
tion, clung  weeping  to  Trav's  neck. 

Trav  comforted  his  mother  as  best  he  could,  and, 
hastening  with  her  inside  the  fort  to  Colonel  Fan- 
nin,  gave  him  General  Houston's  despatch. 


302          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Colonel  Fannin  read  the  despatch,  his  face  flush- 
ing as  he  read  General  Houston's  peremptory  or- 
ders to  immediately  retreat  to  Victoria,  intrench 
himself,  and  there  await  further  orders. 

"Impossible!  Impossible !"  he  declared  impa- 
tiently. "I  cannot  evacuate  this  place  immediately. 
Houston  does  not  know  my  situation.  I  sent  Cap- 
tain King  with  twenty-eight  men  to  bring  in  the 
families  at  Refugio.  He  has  been  attacked  there 
by  the  Mexican  cavalry,  and  I  have  sent  Colonel 
Ward  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  men  to  his 
rescue.  I  must  wait  their  return.  But  I  will  send 
a  courier  at  once  to  Refugio  to  bid  them  hasten," 
and  he  hurried  away  to  give  the  order. 

That  night  Trav  and  Tom,  wearied  as  they  were, 
sat  long  with  Mrs.  McNelly,  listening  to  the  un- 
happy woman's  tale  of  the  misfortunes  that  had 
come  to  her  since  the  morning  when  they  had 
started  on  their  ride  for  Texas  to  Washington,  and, 
in  turn,  telling  her  of  their  own  adventures  and 
repeating  the  sad  and  terrible  story  of  the  fall  of 
the  Alamo  and  the  heroic  deaths  of  brave  Davy 
Crockett  and  his  comrades,  as  they  had  heard  it 
from  the  lips  of  the  still  more  unfortunate  Mrs. 
Dickinson.  Mrs.  McNelly  wept  for  the  deaths  of 
those  brave  men,  for  the  sorrows  of  the  dear  woman 
who  had  been  so  kind  to  her  and  her  husband ;  and 
her  tears  for  others  were  like  salve  to  her  own 
heart-wounds. 

Poor  woman,  the  loss  of  Kitty,  coming  on  top 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  303 

of  the  hardships  she  had  so  recently  endured,  had 
been  almost  more  than  her  fortitude,  great  as  it 
was,  could  bear,  and  for  a  number  of  days  she  had 
been  very  ill.  Now,  she  was  slowly  mending,  but 
still  was  far  from  being  her  sturdy,  self-reliant  self 
either  in  body  or  in  mind. 

Trav  and  Tom,  although  in  their  own  hearts  they 
feared  the  truthfulness  of  his  cruel  message,  both 
scoffed  at  the  words  of  Vasquez,  declaring  that 
they  did  not  believe  he  had  captured  Sam  McNelly, 
but  had  sent  the  message  to  Mrs.  McNelly  just 
from  pure  Mexican  devilment.  Mrs.  McNelly, 
comforted  by  this  thought  and  the  presence  of  her 
son,  went  to  bed  that  night  in  an  easier  frame  of 
mind  and  to  sounder  sleep  than  she  had  had  for 
a  week. 

For  three  days  longer  Colonel  Fannin  waited  for 
the  return  of  Colonel  Ward  and  Captain  King  and 
their  men,  sending  out  courier  after  courier  in  a 
vain  effort  to  learn  what  had  happened  to  them. 
Then  came  definite  news  that  Ward  and  King  had 
been  defeated  and  were  retreating  in  the  direction 
of  Victoria.  On  the  same  day  Captain  Horton, 
who  had  been  out  scouting,  reported  that  a  large 
force  of  Mexicans  under  General  Urrea  was  slowly 
advancing  from  the  direction  of  San  Antonio,  and 
that  some  of  his  men  had  been  attacked  by  advance 
parties  of  the  Mexican  cavalry.  Then  at  last 
Colonel  Fannin  awoke  to  the  danger  of  his  situation, 
and  summoned  his  officers. 


304  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"I  have  determined  to  abandon  my  position  at 
break  of  day  to-morrow,"  he  said  to  the  officers. 
"We  must  destroy  everything  which  would  be  help- 
ful to  the  enemy  that  we  cannot  take  with  us." 

Accordingly  the  fort  was  dismantled,  the  heavier 
pieces  of  cannon  were  buried,  all  the  provisions  and 
supplies,  which  could  not  be  taken  with  them,  burnt, 
and  by  sunrise  the  next  morning  everything  was 
ready  for  the  abandonment  of  Fort  Defiance,  the 
name  Colonel  Fannin  had  given  the  fortifications. 

During  these  three  days  Trav  and  Tom  had  been 
in  a  constant  fever  of  anxiety,  not  only  on  account 
of  Kitty  and  their  fathers,  but,  also,  because  of 
Fannin's  failure  to  obey  General  Houston's  per- 
emptory orders  to  immediately  abandon  Goliad. 
They  could  understand  the  absolute  uselessness  of 
their  attempting  to  go  to  the  help  of  Kitty  and 
their  fathers,  knowing  well  that  long  before  now 
Vasquez  had  fled  with  his  captives  to  the  safety 
of  the  Mexican  army,  whither  it  would  be  suicide 
to  follow  him,  and,  galling  as  was  this  helplessness, 
they  bowed  to  necessity.  But,  with  the  horror  of 
the  Alamo  fresh  before  his  eyes,  and  a  Mexican 
army,  known  to  be  many  times  as  large  as  his  own, 
marching  down  upon  him,  and  the  way  of  retreat 
open  before  him,  they  could  not  understand  the  de- 
lay of  Fannin.  And  there  were  many  others,  offi- 
cers as  well  as  privates,  besides  the  boys  in  that 
little  army,  who  could  not  understand  this  same 
fatal  delay.  Consequently,  when  at  last  the  orders 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  305 

to  actually  begin  the  retreat  did  come,  there  was 
great  rejoicing  and  a  sigh  of  relief  went  up  from 
nearly  every  heart. 

The  morning  was  thick  and  sticky  with  a  heavy 
fog,  that  clung  like  a  great  cloak  about  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  world  and  delayed  the  start,  but  at  last 
the  order  was  given  and  the  little  army  began  mov- 
ing toward  the  ford  of  the  San  Antonio  River. 
First  Captain  Horton,  in  command  of  twenty-eight 
men,  crossed  the  river,  with  orders  to  ride  ahead 
and  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  the  enemy.  Then 
followed  the  infantry,  numbering  in  all  some  three 
hundred  and  fifty  men.  Through  the  gray  mist 
the  men  moved  like  phantoms  down  to  the  river. 
Here  the  steep  miry  banks,  down  and  up  which  it 
was  almost  impossible  for  the  oxen  to  drag  the 
cannon,  delayed  them. 

Some  of  the  officers,  knowing  how  valuable  every 
moment  of  time  was  now  that  they  were  beyond 
the  protecting  walls  of  the  fort,  begged  Fannin  to 
sink  the  cannon  in  the  river  and  abandon  them. 

"No,"  and  the  obstinate  lines  on  Colonel  Fannin's 
face  tightened  as  he  spoke,  "I  will  not  abandon 
my  cannon.  They  must  go  with  me.  I  expect  to 
have  to  fight,  and  I  cannot  do  without  them." 

Brave  but  obstinate  man!  With  those  words 
you  sealed  your  own  fate  and  the  fate  of  the  brave 
men  with  you! 

The  cannon  were  not  abandoned,  and  it  was  ten 
o'clock  before  the  train  of  wagons  and  cannons  were 


306          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

finally  safe  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and 
the  march  resumed  across  the  open  prairie,  skirted 
with  belts  of  timber,  toward  the  Coleto  Creek,  some 
ten  miles  distant. 

Trav  and  Tom,  mounted  on  their  horses,  rode  one 
on  each  side  of  the  wagon  in  which  sat  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly.  The  faces  of  both  lads  showed  the  effects 
of  the  anxiety  and  dread  under  which  they  had 
been  laboring  for  the  past  few  days;  and  now,  as 
they  rode  along  through  the  gray  fog  which  was 
beginning  to  melt  under  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun, 
there  was  an  added  look  of  dread  and  apprehen- 
sion in  the  eyes  with  which  they  were  continually 
searching  the  surrounding  horizon,  as  if  they  were 
fearful  of  some  great  danger,  but  knew  not  from 
what  quarter  it  might  come.  And,  indeed,  they 
were  fearful;  for  to  Trav  and  Tom  it  did  not  seem 
possible  that  the  Mexicans  would  let  slip  this  op- 
portunity to  attack  Fannin,  while  moving  across 
the  open  prairie,  unprotected  by  fortifications  and 
hampered  by  women  and  children  fugitives  and  his 
precious  train  of  cannons,  if  they  were  as  near 
as  reported,  and  in  such  overwhelming  numbers. 

Nor  were  Trav's  and  Tom's  eyes  the  only  eyes 
that  were  continually  searching  the  horizon  with 
apprehensive  anxiety.  All  knew  and  all  feared  the 
danger  of  an  attack  by  the  Mexicans — all  appar- 
ently but  Fannin ;  and  there  was  a  feeling  of  depres- 
sion, of  dread,  in  every  heart.  The  women  spoke  to 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  307 

one  another  in  low  voices,  the  men  marched  in 
watchful  silence,  and  even  the  little  children  were 
unusually  quiet.  The  oxen  groaned  under  the 
strain  of  dragging  the  heavy  wagons  and  cannons 
over  the  unbeaten  roads,  and  the  wagons  them- 
selves creaked  dismally  and  warningly,  or  so  the 
sounds  made  by  their  straining  wheels  and  axles 
seemed  to  the  apprehensive  ears  of  Trav  and  Tom, 
who,  strive  as  they  might,  could  not  dismiss  their 
fears. 

For  some  three  or  four  hours  the  train  moved 
slowly  forward,  the  fog  lifting  as  the  moments 
passed  until  the  sun  shone  brightly  through  a  clear 
sky;  then,  when  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the 
protecting  timber  that  grew  along  the  banks  of  the 
Coleto  Creek,  Fannin  was  compelled  to  call  a  halt 
or  to  abandon  his  cannon,  for  the  tired  oxen  could 
drag  them  no  farther  without  a  rest. 

Again  his  officers  implored  him  anxiously  to  bury 
his  cannon  and  leave  them,  pointing  out  that  two 
Mexican  videttes  had  been  seen  to  .watch  them  for 
a  few  minutes  from  a  distance  and  then  to  gallop 
rapidly  away,  doubtless  to  carry  the  news  of  his 
retreat  to  the  Mexican  general,  and  warning  him 
that  they  might  expect  the  whole  Mexican  army 
down  upon  them  if  they  delayed. 

"No,"  and  Fannin's  thin  lips  closed  tightly  and 
his  eyes  lighted  angrily,  "I  will  not  abandon  the 
cannon.  If  we  are  threatened  by  the  Mexican 


308          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

army,  all  the  more  need  that  we  should  hold  on  to 
them.  I  will  rest  the  oxen  and  let  them  crop  the 
grass  here  for  an  hour." 

"But,"  remonstrated  one  of  his  officers,  "let  us 
at  least  go  on  until  we  reach  the  Coleto.  There 
we  will  have  the  protection  of  the  trees  and  water ; 
but  here  we  are  on  the  open  prairie,  even  in  a  slight 
depression,  where  it  would  be  most  difficult  to  de- 
fend ourselves,  if  attacked/' 

"Saints  of  heaven!"  and  Colonel  Fannin's  face 
flushed  angrily.  "If  you  are  in  such  deadly  fear 
of  the  Mexicans,  ride  on  and  join  Captain  Horton 
and  his  scouts;  but  I  and  my  cannon  stay  here 
until  the  oxen  have  rested  and  eaten  of  the  rich 
grass  that  grows  so  plentifully  in  this  same  depres- 
sion," and  he  turned  imperatively  from  his  officers 
and  ordered  the  oxen  unyoked  and  turned  loose  to 
graze. 

Fatal  words !  They  placed  the  final  seal  of  doom 
upon  many  a  brave  man!  If — but,  why  speak  of 
ifs?  It  is  of  the  past,  where  there  are  no  ifs,  that 
we  write. 

For  nearly  two  hours  the  oxen  were  allowed  to 
rest  and  feed,  then  at  last  Fannin  gave  the  order 
to  yoke  up  and  resume  the  march. 

"Well,  I  thould  think  it  was  time,"  Tom  com- 
plained indignantly,  as  he  saw  the  men  beginning 
to  hitch  the  oxen  to  the  wagons  and  the  cannon. 
"Here  it  is  nearly  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and 
we've  gone  only  about  eight  miles.  Twon't  take 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  309 

very  fast  traveling  for  the  Mexicans  to  catch  us 
at  this  rate  of  speed.  I  can't  see  what  Fannin — " 

"Look!  Look,  there!"  and  Trav,  who  had  been 
standing  up  in  the  wagon  by  his  mother's  side, 
pointed  excitedly  off  to  the  right,  where  a  dark  line 
of  horsemen  was  seen  coming  out  of  a  belt  of  tim- 
ber that  skirted  the  prairie  some  two  miles  away. 
"It's  the  Mexicans!  The  Mexican  cavalry!  The 
Mexicans  are  coming!"  he  shouted,  jumping  from 
the  wagon  and  springing  onto  the  back  of  his  horse. 

Instantly  the  little  army  of  Fannin  was  thrown 
into  the  greatest  excitement,  but  there  was  little 
confusion.  The  women  clung  to  their  children  and 
watched  with  blanching  faces  the  advancing  Mex- 
icans. The  men  tightened  their  grips  on  their 
rifles  and  saw  that  the  priming  was  fresh,  while 
their  faces  hardened  and  their  lips  grew  tighter 
across  their  clenched  teeth. 

"To  the  hills!  To  the  hills!  Hurry!"  shouted 
Fannin,  who  now,  when  too  late,  saw  the  fatal  error 
of  his  halting  in  a  depression.. 

With  shouts  and  yells  and  goads  and  whips  the 
men  urged  the  straining  oxen  toward  the  nearest 
hill.  If  they  could  only  reach  it — but,  no.  Before 
they  had  gone  twenty  rods  one  of  the  ammunition 
wagons  broke  down  and  they  were  compelled  to 
halt.  Fannin  had  been  caught  in  a  trap  of  his  own 
setting. 

The  Mexican  cavalry  advanced  rapidly  on  a  gal- 
lop and  formed  in  a  mass  between  the  Texans  and 


310  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  trees  and  the  water  of  the  Coleto.  Behind  the 
cavalry  came  a  large  body  of  infantry,  that  promptly 
took  a  position  in  the  rear  of  Fannin  and  began 
rapidly  advancing  lines  on  both  sides  of  the  Texans. 

The  trap  was  about  to  be  sprung. 

Fannin,  the  moment  he  saw  that  the  battle  must 
be  fought  then  and  there,  formed  his  men  into  a 
hollow  square,  three  ranks  deep,  with  the  wagons 
and  the  oxen  in  the  center,  and  the  cannons  sta- 
tioned at  the  corners,  and,  ordering  his  men  to 
He  down  and  to  reserve  their  fire  until  the  enemy 
were  within  certain  range,  awaited  the  attack  with 
a  calmness  and  bravery  that  did  much  to  redeem 
his  lack  of  judgment  and  obstinacy. 

Trav  and  Tom  had  watched  all  these  proceedings 
with  the  most  intense  interest,  an  interest  so  great 
that  for  the  moment  they  had  no  thought  for  the 
horror  of  wounds  and  death  so  soon  to  follow. 
Remember,  boys,  that  this  was  their  first  battle; 
and  the  sight  of  the  long  lines  of  Mexican  cavalry 
galloping  to  their  places,  flags  fluttering,  bugles 
blowing,  equipments  gleaming,  and  the  regular  files 
of  infantry  marching  swiftly  across  the  level  prairie 
and  forming  in  their  rear,  was,  indeed,  a  gallant 
scene,  and,  so  far,  nothing  had  occurred  to  mar 
its  beauty.  But  they  were  quickly  recalled  to  the 
terrible  realities  of  their  situation  by  the  wrathful 
voice  of  Jed  Watkins,  who  had  mounted  a  wagon 
near  where  the  boys  sat  on  their  horses,  in  order 
to  get  a  better  view  of  his  surroundings. 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  311 

"Plumb  surrounded,"  he  broke  out  angrily,  when 
his  eyes  had  completed  the  circle  of  the  horizon. 
"An'  in  a  hole  without  water  or  nothin'  tew  keep 
them  yeller  skunks  from  jest  swarmin'  right  over 
us,  like  a  herd  of  stampedin'  cattle.  Of  all  fool 
things,  tew  stop  right  in  a  holler —  Hi,  here  they 
come!  Jimmina,  I  must  get  a  hustle,  if  I  wants 
tew  be  'mong  th'  fust  tew  have  a  crack  at  'em!" 
and,  jumping  down  from  the  wagon,  he  ran  at  top 
speed  to  where  the  lines  of  men  lay  flat  on  the 
ground,  the  anger  gone  from  his  honest  face  and 
replaced  by  a  look  that  indicated  plainly  his  deter- 
mination to  make  the  best  possible  account  of  him- 
self. 

Trav  and  Tom,  at  Jed's  shout,  "Here  they  come !" 
gave  one  glance  toward  the  Mexican  cavalry,  saw 
that  they  were  galloping  straight  toward  them, 
jumped  from  their  horses,  and,  stopping  only  long 
enough  for  Trav  to  kiss  the  white  face  of  his 
mother,  raced  after  Jed  Watkins  and  threw  them- 
selves down  on  the  ground,  one  on  either  side  of 
him,  with  rifles  held  ready  for  instant  use. 

"Hold  your  fire !  Hold  your  fire !"  shouted  Fan- 
nin.  "Wait  until  you  can  make  every  shot  tell! 
Wait  until  they  get  within  short  range!"  and,  ut- 
terly regardless  of  the  Mexican  balls  that  were  now 
singing  through  the  air  above  his  head,  he  walked 
back  and  forth  just  behind  his  lines  of  reclining 
men. 

On  and  on  came  the  Mexicans,  firing  their  guns 


312  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

as  they  came.  Now  they  did  not  look  to  the  ex- 
cited eyes  of  the  boys  to  be  over  twenty  rods  away, 
still  Fannin  was  shouting:  "Steady,  steady,  boys! 
Hold  your  fire !  Hold  your  fire !" 

"Oh,  why  don't  he  tell  us  to  shoot?"  Trav  ex- 
claimed, his  hands  trembling  so  that  he  could  hardly 
hold  his  rifle.  "I — I'm  sure  they're  near  enough 


now." 


"Jest  hold  your  hosses,  sonny,"  and  Jed  Watkins 
paused  to  bite  off  a  fresh  "chaw"  of  tobacco.  "Jest 
hold  your  hosses  an'  keep  a  stedy  hand  an'  eye. 
'Tain't  th'  noise  that  counts  in  a  fight  like  this :  it's 
th'  bullets  that  hits." 

By  this  time  the  Mexican  cavalry  had  come 
within  short  range.  To  the  excited  boys  they 
looked  as  if  they  were  about  to  ride  over  them,  so 
near  did  the  onrushing  horsemen  appear  to  their 
throbbing  eyes.  Suddenly  Fannin  waved  his  sword 
around  his  head. 

"Fire!"  he  shouted.  "Give  it  to  them,  boys! 
Give  it  to  them !" 

Instantly  the  first  line  of  men  rose  to  their  knees, 
fired,  and  then  fell  flat  on  the  ground,  as  the  second 
line  rose,  fired,  and  in  turn  dropped  to  the  ground, 
while  the  third  line  fired  over  their  heads.  By  this 
time  the  first  line  was  again  ready;  and  thus  the 
volleys,  one  after  another,  were  repeated,  as  swiftly 
as  the  men  could  aim  and  fire,  while  the  cannons, 
loaded  with  grape,  joined  gloriously  in  the  chorus. 

Every  one  of  those  hardy  men  were  expert  shots. 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  313 

A  rifle  had  been  in  their  hands  ever  since  they  were 
old  enough  to  lift  one  to  their  shoulders.  At  the 
first  volley  many  a  horse  plunged  riderless  over  the 
prairie — at  the  second,  still  more  riderless  horses— 
at  the  third,  the  horsemen  wavered — at  the  fourth 
they  broke,  when  not  more  than  ten  rods  from  those 
deadly  lines  of  belching  flames  and  bullets,  and  gal- 
loping madly  back,  away  from  the  fatal  hail  of 
Texan  rifle  balls,  leaving  the  prairie  dotted  with 
black  forms  that  writhed  or  lay  ominously  motion- 
less, and  wildly  galloping,  riderless  horses. 

The  Texans,  Trav  and  Tom  the  most  enthusiastic 
among  them,  jumped  to  their  feet,  and  sent  cheer 
after  cheer  after  the  fleeing  cavalry ;  and  then,  with 
sobered  faces,  friends  turned  to  friends  to  see  if  all 
were  well  with  them. 

Not  a  man  had  been  killed  by  the  wild  firing  of 
the  Mexicans,  and  only  a  few  wounded. 

But  the  battle  had  not  yet  been  won. 

General  Urrea,  after  this  first  taste  of  Texan 
shooting,  waited  until  his  infantry  and  cavalry  had 
completely  surrounded  the  little  square  of  Texans, 
then  he  ordered  a  general  charge  from  all  sides  at 
once ;  and  the  long  lines  of  infantry  and  cavalry  be- 
gan moving  toward  the  Texans,  coming  slowly  until 
they  were  within  range,  and  then,  with  a  great 
shouting,  charging  at  full  speed,  shooting  as  they 
charged,  the  infantry  with  bayonets  fixed  ready  for 
the  thrust. 

"Steady,  steady,  men!"  cautioned  Fannin,  still, 


In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

even  in  that  hail  of  bullets,  standing  erect.  "Aim 
low !  Make  every  shot  count !  Steady,  men !" 

Fortunately  the  Texans  had  an  abundance  of 
weapons.  By  the  side  of  each  man  lay  two  or 
three  loaded  rifles;  and,  as  the  Mexicans  came  on, 
they  fired  these  with  deadly  rapidity.  The  cannons 
at  each  of  the  four  corners  roared  and  flamed  and 
hurled  their  missiles  with  fearful  slaughter  into 
the  crowded  ranks  of  the  enemy. 

Down  tumbled  the  horses  and  riders,  and  down 
tumbled  the  infantry  in  files,  as  if  Death  stood 
swinging  a  great  scythe  in  their  midst ;  but  still  on 
they  came,  until  almost  within  bayonet-thrust  of  the 
flaming  Texan  guns.  Then,  suddenly,  with  wild 
yells  of  terror,  the  ranks  broke  and  fled  from  that 
deadly  square  of  Texans. 

Again  the  Texans  jumped  to  their  feet,  and 
shouted  and  cheered,  and  then  turned  anxious  faces 
to  their  comrades  at  their  sides. 

Now  Trav  and  Tom  saw  the  horrors  of  war.  A 
man  not  six  feet  from  where  they  stood  had  been 
killed,  and  many  a  poor  fellow  lay  groaning  on  the 
ground,  while  they  were  circled  with  dead  and  dying 
Mexicans,  some  of  them  almost  within  hand-reach 
of  the  outer  line.  Colonel  Fannin  still  stood  erect, 
but  his  face  was  white  and  drawn  with  pain.  A 
Mexican  ball  had  struck  him  in  the  thigh,  making  a 
painful  wound. 

But  still  the  battle  had  not  yet  been  won. 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  315 

General  Urrea  now  ordered  the  infantry  to  fol- 
low the  Texan  tactics,  and  to  lie  down  within  range 
and  fire  from  that  position ;  but,  every  time  a  Mexi- 
can head  was  raised  to  fire  a  gun,  a  Texan  rifleman 
put  a  bullet  through  it,  and  the  infantry,  not  having 
any  particular  liking  for  that  sort  of  a  game,  soon 
fell  back  out  of  range  of  those  deadly  rifles. 

General  Urrea  now  tried  to  break  the  Texan  lines 
by  a  cavalry  charge  gallantly  led  by  himself ;  but  the 
Mexican  cavalry,  brave  and  tried  troops  though  they 
were,  could  not  withstand  the  terrible  hail  of  grape- 
shot  and  bullets  that  met  them  from  the  cannons  and 
rifles  of  the  Texans,  and  again  broke  and  fled,  while 
more  horses  dashed  riderless  over  the  plain  and 
more  dark  spots  sullied  the  virgin  green  of  the 
prairie. 

General  Urrea  was  in  a  great  rage.  To  have  the 
finest  troops  in  the  Mexican  army  again  and  again 
repulsed  by  this  little  handful  of  Texans,  was  un- 
endurable. For  the  honor  of  Mexico,  the  disgrace 
must  be  retrieved.  He  summoned  his  officers.  He 
stormed  and  swore  Mexican  oaths  at  them;  and 
then  again  ordered  a  general  assault,  furiously  bid- 
ding his  officers  see  that  their  men  this  time  swept 
those  Texans  off  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Again  the  Mexican  bugles  sounded  the  charge; 
and  again  the  Mexican  cavalry  and  infantry  rushed 
headlong  from  all  sides  down  upon  that  square  of 
flaming  rifles  and  thundering  cannons  and  dauntless 


316  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

men,  the  officers  stimulating  the  courage  of  their 
men  by  pricking  them  on  from  behind  with  the 
points  of  their  swords. 

The  Texans  fired  until  they  had  emptied  all  their 
rifles,  and  reloaded  and  fired  again.  The  cannons 
hurled  their  grape  and  canister  until  their  barrels 
were  burning  hot  and  choked  with  burnt  powder. 

"We  cannot  fire  longer !"  shouted  one  of  the  ar- 
tillerymen to  Fannin.  "The  cannon  are  too  hot  and 
clogged,  and  there  is  no  water  to  swab  them  out!" 

"Then  take  your  rifles  and  give  it  to  them !"  yelled 
back  Fannin. 

The  Mexicans  dropped,  like  nuts  from  a  shaken 
tree,  off  their  horses.  The  infantrymen  fell  in 
squads;  and  the  riderless  horses  of  the  cavalry, 
crazed  with  fear  and  wounds,  plunged  wildly 
through  their  ranks,  knocking  men  down  and  throw- 
ing all  into  still  greater  confusion  and  terror.  But 
the  sharp  points  of  the  officers'  swords  still  drove 
them  on. 

The  cavalry  were  the  first  to  break.  The  in- 
fantry, driven  by  the  sharp  swords  from  behind, 
charged  on,  until  the  powder  from  the  Texan  guns 
burnt  the  faces  of  the  foremost  ranks.  Then  offi- 
cers and  officers'  swords  were  forgotten,  everything 
but  the  death-laden  flames  flashing  into  their  faces ; 
and  the  infantry,  as  well  as  the  cavalry,  broke- 
turned — and  fled,  like  a  herd  of  stampeding  buf- 
faloes, headlong  over  the  plain,  away  from  those 
terrible  Texans. 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  317 

Once  again  the  Texans  jumped  to  their  feet  and 
cheered.  But,  when  they  turned  from  the  fleeing 
enemy  and  glanced  apprehensively  up  and  down 
their  own  ranks,  the  light  of  victory  went  out  of 
their  eyes  and  their  faces  showed  white  and  anxious 
through  the  smoke  and  grime  of  battle.  There 
were  over  sixty  dead  and  wounded  now,  and  nearly 
all  the  wounded  were  seriously  hurt. 

During  the  wild  turmoil  of  this  fight  Trav  and 
Tom  had  loaded  and  fired  their  rifles  with  all  the 
furious  ardor  of  desperately  fighting  men,  without 
a  thought  of  the  pain  and  suffering  their  bullets 
and  the  bullets  of  the  enemy  might  cause ;  but  now, 
with  the  results  of  those  few  moments  of  terrible 
fighting  before  their  eyes,  their  hearts  grew  sick 
with  the  horror  of  it  all. 

"Oh,  I  never  dreamed  that  a  battle  was  as  dread- 
ful as  this!"  Trav  cried,  as  the  two  boys  leaned 
white  and  faint  against  a  wagon  near  which  Mrs. 
McNelly  was  helping  the  surgeons  care  for  the 
wounded.  "It  is  terrible!  horrible!"  and  he  shud- 
dered and  closed  his  eyes  to  shut  out  the  fearful 
sight  of  the  dead  and  wounded  men. 

"That's  whar  your  plumb  right,  sonny,"  and  Jed 
Watkins  seated  himself  on  the  wagon  tongue  and 
began  carefully  cleaning  and  loading  the  three 
rifles,  which  constituted  his  armament.  "Fighting 
is  a  terrible,  horrible  business —  Jest  hear  them 
wounded  Mexies  screamm'  out  thar  on  th'  plain, 
with  no  one  tew  ease  their  hurts  or  even  tew  give 


318          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

'em  a  glass  of  water — but  'tain't  as  terrible  an'  hor- 
rible, as  it  is  tew  knuckle  down  tew  a  tyrant,  like 
Santa  Anna;  an',  when  it  comes  tew  knucklin'  or 
fightin',  I  reckon  any  man  what  is  a  man'll  choose 
th'  fightin'.  Jimmina,  but  we  jest  did  give  them 
Mexies  particular  fits,  didn't  we?"  and  Jed's  eyes 
roamed  exultantly  over  the  plain,  where  the  Mexi- 
cans, men  and  horses,  were  still  running — all  of 
them  that  had  life  enough  in  them  to  run. 

"But,  have  we  licked  them?  Won't  they  attack 
us  again  ?"  and  Tom  turned  an  anxious  face  to  Jed. 

"Lick  'em!  You  bet  we  licked  'em!"  and  Jed's 
face  shone  with  triumph.  "Jest  look  at  'em  still 
scootin'  tew  git  out  of  range  of  our  bullets.  But," 
and  his  face  darkened,  "you'd  better  git  tew  cleanin' 
your  rifles,  for  I  reckon  we'll  have  tew  lick  'em 
some  more  afore  th'  fight  is  over." 

Jed  Watkins  was  right.  General  Urrea  had  no 
idea  of  allowing  his  prey,  virtually  already  in  his 
talons,  to  escape.  But  he  had  had  enough,  and  his 
men  had  more  than  enough,  of  close  fighting  for  the 
present.  He  would  surround  the  little  square  of 
Texans  and  wait,  like  a  great  pack  of  wolves  around 
a  surrounded  buffalo  bull.  In  the  morning  the 
Texans  would  be  stiff  and  sore  from  their  wounds 
and  exertions,  and  wearied  with  their  fighting  and 
constant  watching,  and  hungry  and  thirsty,  for  they 
had  little  food  and  less  water;  while  he,  if  they  still 
refused  to  surrender,  would  be  in  still  better  shape 
to  attack  them,  for  he  expected  to  be  reinforced  by 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  319 

several  hundred  men  and  a  number  of  pieces  of 
artillery  before  morning. 

Doubtless,  some  such  reasoning  as  this  prevailed 
upon  General  Urrea,  for  there  were  no  more  as- 
saults made  on  the  Texan  lines  that  day,  but,  as 
soon  as  the  terrified  Mexican  troops  had  been  ral- 
lied, they  were  drawn  up  so  as  to  completely  sur- 
round the  Texans  out  of  range  of  their  guns. 

Trav  and  Tom,  following  Jed's  suggestion,  care- 
fully cleaned  and  loaded  their  rifles,  and  then  gave 
what  aid  they  could  to  the  care  of  the  wounded. 
Sad,  sad  work  that  made  their  young  hearts  bleed, 
and  effectually  killed  any  longings  they  might  have 
had  to  partake  of  the  glories  of  war. 

The  day  was  now  near  spent,  and  soon  the  black- 
ness of  a  night  heavy  and  wet  with  fog  settled  down 
on  the  little  army  of  Texans.  But,  before  it  became 
too  dark  to  see,  a  number  of  Indians,  who  had 
joined  the  forces  of  the  Mexicans,  began  creeping 
up  around  the  Texan  lines,  taking  advantage  of 
every  hillock  and  clump  of  bushes  and  tuft  of  thick 
grass,  and  soon  came  so  near  that  they  killed 
and  wounded  a  number  of  the  Texans.  Four  of 
them,  who  had  succeeded  in  creeping  up  within  a 
hundred  yards,  were  especially  deadly,  and  aroused 
the  ire  of  Jed  Watkins. 

"Consarn  them  sneakin'  varmints !"  he  exclaimed 
angrily,  as  a  ball  from  their  guns  knocked  over  a 
man  not  six  feet  from  where  he  stood.  "They've 
played  devil  tew  th'  Mexican  fiddle  'bout  long 


320          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

enough,"  and,  catching  up  three  extra  rifles,  he  ran 
to  a  gun  carriage,  and,  crouching  behind  it,  leveled 
one  of  the  rifles  and  waited.  The  instant  one  of  the 
Indians  showed  his  head  he  fired,  caught  up  an- 
other of  the  rifles  and  almost  instantly  fired  again, 
and  thus,  in  rapid  succession  emptied  the  four  guns. 

"Did  you  get  them?  Did  you  get  them?"  Trav 
inquired  eagerly,  as  he  hurried  back  from  the  ex- 
posed gun  carriage,  nursing  a  slight  wound  in  his 
hand. 

"Plumb  through  th'  heads,"  was  his  sententious 
but  satisfactory  answer. 

When  it  became  dark  the  Texans  soon  silenced 
the  fire  of  the  remaining  Indians,  by  shooting  at 
the  flashes  of  their  guns  the  instant  they  were  fired 
— and  the  fight  for  that  day  was  done. 

Never  will  Trav  and  Tom  forget  the  horrors  of 
that  long,  wearisome  night.  No  one  slept,  no  one 
could  sleep  with  the  agonizing  moans  of  the 
wounded,  who  were  continually  calling  for  water, 
sounding  in  their  ears,  and  there  was  no  water  to 
give  them.  Neither  was  there  any  food ;  and,  hun- 
gry and  thirsty,  the  two  boys  waited  in  the  wet 
blackness  of  the  night  for  the  daylight  that  might 
bring  them  only  wounds  and  death.  In  the  dis- 
tance, they  could  see,  as  they  sat  huddled  close  to 
Mrs.  McNelly,  one  on  either  side,  the  circling  lines 
of  Mexican  camp-fires,  gleaming  redly  through  the 
darkness  and  fog,  and  could  hear  the  continual  cry 
of  "Sentinela  alerte,"  coming  weirdly  through  the 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  321 

surrounding  blackness,  as  the  Mexican  sentries 
paced  back  and  forth  around  that  little  encampment 
of  Texans,  keeping  careful  watch  in  order  that  none 
of  their  victims  might  escape. 

But,  horrible  and  desperate  as  was  the  plight  of 
the  Texans,  their  courage  was  undaunted;  and 
when  Colonel  Fannin  called  them  together  and  told 
them  that  their  one  chance  of  escape  was  to  retreat 
to  the  timbers  of  the  Coleto  during  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  that  it  would  be  too  late  in  the  morning, 
when  the  Mexicans  would  undoubtedly  receive  re- 
inforcements, but  that  they  could  not  take  their 
wounded  with  them,  for  the  glory  of  Texas  be  it 
recorded,  not  one  of  the  men  would  go  and  leave 
their  disabled  comrades,  and  it  was  unanimously 
decided  to  remain  and  fight  it  out. 

The  remainder  of  the  night  was  spent  by  the 
Texans  in  throwing  up  an  earthen  breastwork,  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  oxen — nearly  all  of  the  oxen  had 
been  killed  during  the  fighting — and  the  wagons 
being  used  to  still  further  strengthen  this  barricade. 

The  moment  it  became  light  enough  to  see  Trav 
and  Tom  climbed  up  on  top  of  one  of  the  wagons, 
anxious  to  discover  what  the  enemy  were  doing; 
and  hardly  had  they  reached  this  point  of  vantage 
when  the  Mexicans  began  shouting  and  cheering 
loudly. 

"What  ails  th'  tarnal  critters  now  ?"  and  Jed  Wat- 
kins  jumped  up  from  the  wagon  tongue,  where  he 
had  been  sitting  smoking  his  pipe,  and  anxiously 


322  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

turned  his  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  hurrahing. 
"Hope  'tain't  reinforcements.  Th'  yeller  snakes  are 
plenty  thick  enough  as  it  is." 

"But  it  is,  it  is  reinforcements!"  Trav  cried  ex- 
citedly. "I  can  see  them,  three  or  four  hundred 
of  them,  and  they  have  got  cannon  with  them  and  a 
long  train  of  pack  mules — " 

"And,"  broke  in  Tom,  "they're  getting  ready  to 
begin  the  attack.  I  can  see  the  officers  marshaling 
their  men,  and  getting  the  cannon  into  position  to 
fire  at  us,"  and  he  hastily  scrambled  down  from  the 
wagon-top,  followed  by  Trav,  and  caught  up  his 
rifle. 

Colonel  Fannin,  stiff  and  lame  from  his  wound, 
but  erect  and  undaunted  as  ever,  was  now  shouting 
out  orders  to  his  men,  who  sprang  behind  the  bar- 
ricade, prepared  again  to  meet  the  assaulting  thou- 
sands with  their  deadly  rifle  balls.  But  General 
Urrea  had  learned  a  lesson  from  those  same  deadly 
rifle  balls,  and,  while  an  advance  was  ordered  all 
around  the  Texans,  the  Mexicans  came  forward 
slowly,  waiting  for  the  artillery  to  get  into  position 
and  open  fire. 

The  day  was  Sunday,  Passion  Sunday,  the  twen- 
tieth of  March,  1836,  just  two  weeks  after  that 
dread  Sunday  at  the  Alamo.  Trav  and  Tom,  as 
they  hurried  to  their  position  behind  the  barricade, 
thought  of  this  other  Sunday,  and  wondered  if 
their  fate  would  be  the  glorious  fate  of  those  brave 
men.  But,  no,  they  had  beaten  the  Mexicans  off 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  323 

yesterday,  and  they  could  do  it  again  to-day !  Alas, 
they  forgot  that  to-day  the  Mexicans  had  cannon, 
and  yesterday  they  had  only  their  rifles.  Nor  did 
they  have  long  to  wait  before  the  dreadful  nature 
of  this  difference  was  brought  home  to  them  with  a 
shock  that  shook  the  whole  encampment;  for, 
hardly  had  they  settled  themselves  down  in  their 
places  behind  one  of  the  barricading  wagons,  when 
a  cloud  of  white  smoke  shot  out  in  front  of  the  Mex- 
ican cannon,  and  the  next  instant  the  wagon  seemed 
tumbling  about  their  heads  in  splinters,  and  the  dirt 
thrown  up  by  balls  plowing  through  the  earthen 
breastwork  was  flying  all  over  their  bodies,  while 
cries  of  agony  from  all  around  told  them  how  fatal 
had  been  the  discharge  of  grape  and  canister.  At 
the  same  moment  the  Mexicans  charged,  yelling 
like  devils  and  firing  their  guns,  all  around  the 
line;  and  the  cannons  roared  again  and  again, 
knocking  the  wagons  into  splinters  and  plowing 
through  the  barricade  and  the  camp,  until  to  Trav 
and  Tom  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  in  the  very  midst 
of  an  inferno  of  destruction. 

"God  A'mighty!  God  A'mighty,  we  can't  stand 
this  long !"  cried  a  man,  staggering  to  his  feet  from 
beneath  a  shattered  wagon,  the  blood  streaming 
from  a  splinter  wound  in  his  cheek;  and  similar 
cries  came  from  many  a  stern-faced  man,  who  saw 
with  horror  the  cannon  shot  tearing  through  the 
wounded  and  the  women  and  children  gathered  in 
the  center  of  the  square. 


324          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Colonel  Fannin,  barkening  to  these  cries,  hastily 
summoned  his  officers  together. 

"The  men  are  calling  to  me  to  surrender,"  he 
said,  "but  we  whipped  them  off  yesterday,  and  we 
can  do  it  again  to-day.  I  am  in  favor  of  continuing; 
the  fight." 

"But  yesterday  the  enemy  had  no  cannon,"  pro- 
tested one  of  the  officers,  "while  to-day — "  A 
charge  of  grape  whistled  by  him,  cutting  the  sword 
out  of  his  hand,  by  way  of  emphasizing  his  state- 
ment— "while  to-day  they  have  both  cannon  and 
reinforcements." 

"And  our  cannon  are  useless,"  objected  another, 
"and  our  men  have  only  a  few  rounds  of  ammuni- 
tion for  their  rifles  left.  The  wounded  and  the 
women  and  children — " 

Another  discharge  of  grapeshot  tore  through  the 
men,  killing  the  officer  who  was  speaking  and 
wounding  a  child,  whose  shrill  screams  of  pain  rang 
in  Fannin's  ears. 

Fannin  wavered — yielded. 

"Good  God,  men,"  he  cried,  "I  would  rather  die 
than  surrender ;  but,  put  it  to  the  vote,  put  it  to  the 
vote,  and  let  the  majority  decide,"  and  he  glared 
dejectedly  around  him. 

The  officers  hurried  to  their  men,  and  a  vote  was 
speedily  taken.  All  saw  the  uselessness  of  resist- 
ing longer;  and  the  vote  was  almost  unanimously 
in  favor  of  surrender,  providing  a  safe  and  honor- 
able capitulation  might  be  obtained. 


The  Price  of  Obstinacy  325 

The  white  flag  was  at  once  raised,  the  firing 
ceased,  and  Fannin,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  offi- 
cers, limped  out  toward  the  Mexicans.  They  were 
met  midway  between  the  lines  by  three  Mexican 
officers,  and  conducted  to  General  Urrea. 

The  terms  of  surrender  were  speedily  agreed 
to;  and  the  brave  little  army  of  Texans  were  pris- 
oners of  war,  to  be  treated  according  to  the  usages 
of  civilized  nations.  The  wounded  were  to  be 
properly  cared  for,  private  property  was  to  be  re- 
spected, and  the  volunteers  from  the  States  were  to 
be  sent  to  New  Orleans,  under  parole  not  to  serve 
any  more  during  the  war  in  Texas. 

But,  alas,  Texas  had  yet  to  learn  another  lesson 
in  Mexican  perfidy  and  brutality ! 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

VASQUEZ   AND    BIG   IKE  AGAIN 

THAT  night  Trav  and  Tom  found  themselves 
back  in  Goliad,  herded,  like  cattle,  with  the 
other  male  prisoners  who  were  able  to  walk,  some 
three  hundred  men,  in  the  gloomy  old  stone  church 
of  the  mission  buildings.  Both  boys  were  in  the 
greatest  anxiety,  not  so  much  on  their  own  ac- 
count, as  on  account  of  Mrs.  McNelly,  concerning 
whose  fate  they  had  been  unable  to  learn  anything 
since  leaving  the  battlefield  of  the  Coleto. 

"I  wish  I  knew  that  mother  was  safe/'  Trav 
said,  perhaps  for  the  hundredth  time,  as  he  squatted 
down  on  the  hard  stone  floor  of  the  church  by  the 
side  of  Tom.  "We  are  men,  and  can  stand  a  little 
hard  usage;  but  mother  isn't — isn't  well,  and  all 
this  trouble  all  coming  together  in  a  bunch  I'm 
afraid  will  make  her  down  sick,  and  it  would  be 
terrible  for  her  to  be  sick  and  have  only  Mexicans 
to  care  for  her." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Tom,  "it  would  be  terrible.  But, 
you  know,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  surrender, 
the  women  and  children  are  not  to  be  treated  as 
prisoners  of  war,  but  are  to  be  well  cared  for  and 
sent  to  their  friends  as  soon  as  possible." 

326 


Vasquez  and  Big  Ike  Again  327 

"I  know.  I  know,"  Trav  responded  gloomily. 
"But,  can  we  trust  the  Mexicans?  They're  not 
treating  us  according  to  agreement.  A  little 
chunk  of  raw  meat  is  all  they've  given  us  to  eat,  and 
the  wounded  are  not  getting  any  care,  and  when 
Colonel  Fannin  complained  to  the  officers  they 
laughed  at  him,  and  maybe  the  women —  Hello! 
Wonder  what's  doing  now?  Hope  it's  something 
more  to  eat,"  and  both  boys  partly  rose,  in  order  to 
get  a  better  view  of  an  officer  and  two  men,  who 
had  just  entered  the  church  and  had  paused  for  an 
instant  at  the  door  to  give  a  command  to  the  sentry 
stationed  there. 

One  of  the  men  carried  a  lantern,  for  it  was  dark 
inside  the  church;  and  presently  the  three  began 
moving  slowly  down  through  the  rows  of  prisoners, 
holding  the  lantern  up  to  the  face  of  each  prisoner 
as  they  passed.  Apparently  they  were  searching 
anxiously  for  someone. 

"Who — I  wonder  who  they  are  looking  for? 
I — "  Trav  stopped  abruptly  and  clutched  Tom  by 
the  arm  excitedly.  "Did  you  see  his  face?  Did 
you  see  his  face?"  he  whispered  agitatedly.  "The 
big  fellow's  with  the  lantern  ?" 

"Yes,"  and  Tom's  voice  trembled  as  he  spoke. 
"It's  Big  Ike,  the  man  we  left  tied  in  that  little 
clump  of  trees.  And — and — "  he  caught  hold  of 
Trav  with  both  hands — "the  man  with  him,  the  one 
who  is  looking  so  carefully  into  the  face  of  every 
prisoner  is — is — yes,  I  am  sure,  it's  Vasquez,"  and 


328          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

he  shuddered,  as  he  pronounced  the  name.  "Oh, 
what  if  they  are  looking  for  us  ?" 

For  a  minute  neither  boy  spoke,  but  watched  with 
fascinated  eyes  the  slow  approach  of  the  three  men 
with  the  lantern.  Not  a  face  escaped  their  scru- 
tiny. 

"Oh,  if  we  could  only  hide,  if  we  could  only 
hide!"  and  Trav  glanced  vainly  around  for  some 
nook  or  corner  in  which  they  might  conceal  them- 
selves. Straight  and  bare  and  solid  the  stone  walls 
of  the  church  rose  all  around  them,  seen  dimly  in 
the  light  of  the  lantern,  without  a  sign  of  a  possible 
hiding-place. 

"We  can't,  we  can't  hide.  There's  no  place. 
But,"  and  Tom's  eyes  brightened,  "let's  blacken  our 
faces,  and  maybe  Vasquez  won't  know  us,"  and  he 
thrust  both  hands  down  on  the  stone  floor  of  the 
church,  which  was  covered  with  the  dirt  accumu- 
lated from  many  feet,  and  began  transferring  the 
dirt  thus  gathered  to  his  face. 

Trav  instantly  followed  his  example;  and  in  a 
few  moments  the  faces  of  both  lads  were  covered 
with  a  thick  coating  of  grime,  that  did  much  to  con- 
ceal their  natural  features. 

In  the  meantime  the  lantern  had  been  slowly  and 
surely  approaching  the  spot  where  they  crouched 
as  closely  to  the  floor  as  possible.  Now  it  was  only 
a  few  feet  away — was  being  held  up  to  the  face  of 
the  man  next  to  Trav;  and  now  the  great  hand  of 
Big  Ike  reached  down  and,  gripping  Trav  by  the 


Vasquez  and  Big  Ike  Again 

shoulder,  jerked  his  head  up  into  the  light  ot  the 
lantern. 

Vasquez  bent,  and,  for  an  instant,  looked  search- 
ingly  into  the  face  before  him.  Then,  with  an 
oath,  he  bade  Big  Ike  drop  Trav,  and  turned  to 
Tom. 

The  hearts  of  both  lads  throbbed  with  hope. 
Vasquez  had  not  recognized  Trav;  and,  therefore, 
there  was  every  reason  to  think  that,  in  the  dark- 
ness, he  would  fail  to  recognize  Tom  also.  The 
ruse  of  the  blackened  faces  was  succeeding  splen- 
didly. 

Again  the  great  hand  of  Big  Ike  descended;  and 
this  time  it  was  the  face  of  Tom  that  was  jerked  up 
and  held  in  the  light  of  the  lantern. 

Vasquez  stooped  until  his  face  was  almost  within 
a  foot  of  Tom's,  and,  for  an  instant,  their  eyes  met. 
Then,  with  another  Mexican  oath,  he  turned  to  ex- 
amine the  face  of  the  next  man,  and  Tom,  with  his 
heart  thumping  jubilantly,  sank  down  on  the  floor, 
and,  gripping  one  of  Trav's  hands,  squeezed  it 
tightly  by  way  of  telegraphing  his  exultation  to  his 
comrade.  But,  before  Vasquez  had  taken  two 
steps,  Big  Ike  suddenly  caught  hold  of  his  sleeve 
and  jerked  him  back. 

"Ten  thousand  devils !"  he  exclaimed.  "The  two 
boys!  We  forgot  the  two  boys!"  and  his  eyes 
flashed  venomously  back  to  where  Trav  and  Tom 
crouched,  their  hearts  beginning  to  thump  like 
drumsticks  against  their  ribs  at  his  words. 


33°  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

"Carramba!"  and  Vasquez  whirled  about.  "The 
two  boys!  Saints  of  my  family,  grant  that  it  is! 
Quick,  the  lantern !"  and,  like  the  talons  of  a  hawk, 
his  fingers  gripped  Trav's  shoulders  and  jerked  him 
to  his  feet. 

For  a  full  minute  Vasquez  stared  straight  into 
Trav's  face,  his  snake-like  eyes  glittering  in  the 
light  of  the  lantern,  then  his  lips  drew  back  from  his 
white  teeth  in  the  malignant  smile  with  which  Trav 
was  already  too  familiar,  and  his  whole  coun- 
tenance lighted  with  malicious  triumph. 

"Chingarra!  It  is  son  of  Big  Sam  McNelly, 
who  crack  Mexican  skulls  with  bare  fist!  Look!" 
and  Vasquez  pointed  a  scornful  finger  at  Trav's 
face.  "Like  hog,  American  pig  all  over  dirt. 
Peuw!  he  poison  to  Mexican  hands,"  and,  with  a 
contemptuous  shrug  of  his  shoulders,  he  dropped 
Trav  and  kicked  him  with  the  toe  of  his  boot,  as 
he  would  have  kicked  a  loathsome  toad. 

"And  I  reckon  here's  his  mate,"  and  Big  Ike  held 
Tom  up  to  the  lantern,  while  his  ugly  face  glowed 
with  vindictive  satisfaction.  "You  two  boys 
thought  'twas  mighty  smart  to  truss  up  Big  Ike, 
liloe  a  gobbling  turkey,  and  leave  him  for  the  wolves 
and  the  vultures  to  feed  on,  didn't  you  ?  Now,"  and 
the  grip  of  the  fingers  tightened,  "it's  Big  Ike's 
turn,  and  he'll  take  all  that's  coming  to  him  right 
here  and  now  out  of  your  hide,"  and,  suddenly  let- 
ting go  of  Tom,  he  struck  him  a  cruel  blow  in  the 
face  with  his  clenched  fist. 


Vasquez  and  Big  Ike  Again  331 

Tom  fell  to  the  floor  like  a  log;  but,  before  his 
body  struck  the  floor,  a  dozen  men — prisoners  all 
— were  leaping  to  their  feet,  and  the  next  instant 
the  lantern  was  knocked  out  of  Big  Ike's  hand,  and 
kicks  and  blows  were  landing  upon  his  huge  body 
from  every  direction,  and  he  was  bellowing  with 
fear  and  pain  and  yelling  for  succor. 

Vasquez  and  the  officer  fled;  and,  when  a  few 
moments  later  they  returned  with  a  guard  of  sol- 
diers to  quell  the  disturbance  and  rescue  their  com- 
rade, their  flaring  torches  showed  them  Big  Ike, 
the  Red  Terror  of  Texas,  lying  flat  on  his  belly  on 
the  floor,  his  nose  in  the  dirt,  hugging  his  head  with 
both  his  arms  and  squealing  with  fright,  like  a  stuck 
pig.  He  had  suddenly  changed  his  mind  about  tak- 
ing all  that  was  coming  to  him  out  of  the  hide  of 
the  boys  right  there  and  now. 

The  soldiers,  with  curses  from  their  mouths,  and 
prods  from  their  bayonets,  and  thumps  from  the 
butts  of  their  guns,  and  pricks  from  the  officer's 
sword,  and  many  dire  threats,  drove  the  enraged 
Texans  from  the  sprawling  body  of  Big  Ike;  and 
the  discomfited  bully  staggered  to  his  feet,  his  face 
covered  with  blood  and  dirt,  his  body  with  bruises, 
his  clothing  torn,  and,  swearing  vengeance,  was 
hurried  from  the  church,  beyond  the  reach  of  those 
undaunted  Texans,  terrible  even  when  unarmed  and 
prisoners. 

Trav's  arms  were  around  Tom  before  his  body 
struck  the  floor,  and  he  quickly  pulled  him  out  of 


332  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  way  of  the  men,  struggling  to  get  at  Big  Ike, 
and  bore  him  to  a  corner  of  the  church,  where  he 
regained  consciousness  just  in  time  to  have  the  sat- 
isfaction of  seeing  Big  Ike,  bruised  and  bleeding  and 
swearing,  hurried  from  the  church  by  the  Mexican 
soldiers  away  from  the  vengeance  of  his  comrades. 

Vasquez,  the  moment  the  soldiers  had  quieted  the 
Texans,  returned  to  where  Trav  and  Tom  sat,  this 
time  accompanied  by  a  corporal's  guard.  The 
smile  was  still  on  his  cruel  face,  but  he  did  not  again 
venture  to  kick  or  strike  the  boys.  He  had  no  de- 
sire of  being  taught  Texan  manners  with  Texan 
fists  and  toes,  after  witnessing  the  experiences  of 
Big  Ike.  For  a  minute  or  two  he  stood  gloating 
over  the  boys  in  silence,  his  snake-like  eyes  glitter- 
ing in  the  torchlight  and  the  smile  that  parted  his 
lips  showing  his  teeth,  like  the  snarling  of  a  dog. 

"I  now  satisfied,"  he  said  at  last,  folding  his  arms 
melodramatically  over  his  bosom.  "All  Big  Sam 
McNelly,  who  kill  my  father  and  brother,  crack 
skulls  with  bare  fist,  love  in  my  power — wife,  son, 
girl,  all  in  my  power.  Wife  and  girl  I  keep  for 
slaves.  Make  cook,  wash,  scrub,  do  all  dirty  work. 
Son,"  and  the  white  teeth  gleamed  beneath  the 
black  mustache,  "son,  he  prisoner  of  Santa  Anna. 
You  think  you  go  free.  Yes,  oh  yes,  you  go  free," 
and  he  laughed.  "You  go  free,  after  killing  brave 
Mexican  soldiers!  Would  that  all  American  pigs 
might  go  free  same  way,"  and  again  he  laughed. 
"Now  I  go  make  wife  of  Big  Sam  McNelly  cook  for 


Vasquez  and  Big  Ike  Again  333 

brave  Mexican  soldiers.  No  cook,  whip.  She  my 
slave,"  and,  making  Trav  a  mock  courtesy,  he 
turned  on  his  heels,  and,  followed  by  the  clanking 
soldiers  and  the  flaring  torches,  strode  out  of  the 
church. 

Trav  had  not  answered  a  word  to  this  tirade — 
what  good  would  it  have  done? — but  his  eyes  had 
blazed  and  he  had  clenched  his  fists  tightly,  when 
Vasquez  spoke  of  Kitty  and  his  mother  and  of  how 
he  would  make  them  his  slaves. 

"If  ever  I  get  the  chance,"  he  said  between  his 
gritted  teeth,  as  Vasquez  turned  away,  "I'll  take 
Davy  Crockett's  advice  and  shoot  that  Mexican 
skunk  same  as  I  would  a  poison  snake.  Oh,  if  I 
were  only  free !"  and  he  glared  in  furious,  but  vain 
wrath  after  the  retreating  form  of  the  hated  Mex- 
ican. 

The  church,  by  the  departure  of  Vasquez  and  the 
officers  and  the  soldiers,  had  been  left  to  the  dim 
light  of  a  couple  of  torches  placed  in  holders  fas- 
tened to  the  wall,  and  their  flaring  flames  hardly 
gave  light  enough  for  Tom  to  see  Trav's  face,  but 
he  knew  by  the  tones  of  his  voice  that  he  had  been 
deeply  stirred  by  the  words  and  boasts  of  Vasquez, 
and  reaching  out  he  caught  hold  of  his  hand  and 
clasped  it  closely  in  warm  sympathy. 

"I  know  things  look  mighty  tough  just  now," 
he  said,  and  the  grip  on  Trav's  hand  tightened,  "and 
it's  terrible  hard  to  be  compelled  to  sit  here  and 
do  nothing  when  father  and  Kitty  and  Sam  and 


334  I*1  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Mrs.  McNelly  all  need  our  help ;  but  I  don't  believe 
things  are  really  as  bad  as  they  look.  I — I — I 
couldn't  believe  in  a  just  God,  if  that  scoundrel,  Vas- 
quez,  was  allowed  to  work  his  wicked  will  in  tri- 
umph to  the  end.  You  just  wait  until  General  Sam 
Houston  gets  after  Santa  Anna,  and  then  these 
boastful  Mexicans  will  sing  to  a  different  tune,  and 
it  will  be  our  turn  to  even  things  up  with  Vasquez." 

"I — I  hope  you  are  right/'  and  Trav  returned 
the  reassuring  pressure  of  Tom's  hand,  "and  I  know 
a  fellow  ought  to  never  say  die  until  he  is  dead,  as 
Davy  Crockett  said,  and  I'm  not  going  to  play  the 
baby,  only — and  his  voice  trembled — "it's  terrible 
to  think  of  mother  and  Kitty  in  the  power  of  such 
a  brute  as  Vasquez  and  not  to  be  able  to  lift  a  finger 
to  help  them." 

For  a  moment  the  two  boys  sat,  clasping  each  the 
hands  of  the  other  in  silence.  They  were  where 
words  failed  to  bring  them  comfort  or  help.  Then 
Tom  gave  a  slight  start,  as  if  something  disagree- 
able had  been  suddenly  recalled  to  his  mind. 

"I  wonder  what  Vasquez  meant  when  he  wished 
that  all  Americans  might  go  free  the  same  way  we 
are  to  go  free.  His  laugh  when  he  said  it  made 
the  cold  shivers  run  down  my  back,"  and  he  drew 
closer  to  Trav.  "General  Urrea  would  not  dare  to 
go  back  on  his  plighted  word,  would  he?"  and 
again  Tom  shivered,  for  the  often  repeated  rumor 
that  Santa  Anna  had  ordered  all  foreigners — 
Americans — taken  in  arms  against  Mexico,  shot, 


Vasquez  and  Big  Ike  Again  335 

kept  recurring  to  his  mind;  and  they,  and  nearly 
every  man  in  Fannin's  captive  army,  were  Ameri- 
cans. 

"It  would  not  be  the  first  time  a  Mexican  had 
broken  his  plighted  word,"  Trav  answered  gloom- 
ily. "But,  what's  the  use  of  thinking  about  it? 
We've  just  got  to  take  whatever  comes,  and  make 
the  best  of  it;  and  the  best  thing  for  us  to  do  now 
is  to  try  and  get  some  sleep.  I  did  not  sleep  a  wink 
last  night,  and  I'm  plumb  tired  out.  Oh,  if  I  could 
only  snuggle  down  in  one  of  mother's  beds  right 
now!  But,  even  this  is  better  than  nothing,"  and 
the  unfortunate  boy  stretched  his  tired  frame  out  on 
the  hard,  cold  stones  of  the  dirty  church  floor. 

Tom  at  once  followed  his  example,  and,  in  a  few 
minutes  the  two  boys,  so  overpoweringly  sleepy  and 
tired  were  they,  were  both  sound  asleep,  in  spite  of 
their  present  dreadful  surroundings  and  the  fearful 
possibilities  of  the  future. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

A  PIECE  OP  WHITE  CLOTH 

FOR  a  week  the  little  army  of  Fannin  was  held 
close  prisoners  in  Goliad,  huddled  together  in 
the  church,  like  hogs  in  a  pen,  and  half-starved  and 
brutally  treated  by  their  captors.  During  this  time 
Colonel  Ward  and  the  hundred  and  more  men  with 
him,  who  had  been  sent  by  Fannin  to  the  relief  of 
Captain  King  at  Refugio,  had  been  captured  by 
General  Urrea,  and  added  to  the  prisoners  already 
crowded  into  the  church.  From  them  Fannin's 
men  first  learned  of  the  fate  of  Captain  King  and 
his  men.  They  had  been  captured,  after  a  brave 
resistance,  by  the  Mexicans,  tied  to  posts  and  shot, 
and  their  bodies  left  hanging  there  for  the  buzzards 
and  wolves.  Then,  a  day  or  two  later,  another 
body  of  prisoners,  eighty-two  in  number,  had  been 
brought  in  and  thrust  into  the  crowded  church. 
These  were  volunteers  under  Major  Miller  from 
Nashville,  and  had  been  captured  by  Colonel  Vara 
immediately  on  their  disembarking  at  Copano,  sur- 
rendering without  resistance.  This  made  some 
four  hundred  prisoners,  all  crowded  into  the  little 
stone  church,  hardly  large  enough  to  accommodate 
half  that  number. 

336 


A  Piece  of  White  Cloth  337 

A  white  piece  of  cloth  had  been  tied  around  the 
arm  of  each  of  the  volunteers  captured  at  Copano 
before  they  had  been  thrust  into  the  church;  and 
this  marking  of  these  men  in  this  peculiar  way  had 
been  the  cause  of  much  anxiety  among  the  other 
prisoners.  Why  had  they  been  thus  distinguished 
from  the  others,  unless  they  had  been  reserved  for  a 
different  fate?  Some  of  the  men  remembered  of 
having  read  or  heard  somewhere  of  how  prisoners 
had  once  been  thus  marked  who  were  to  be  spared 
when  the  others  were  massacred;  and  many  a 
strong  heart  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  what  that 
bit  of  white  cloth  might  portend  to  those  who  did 
not  wear  it.  And  yet,  had  they  not  surrendered 
as  prisoners  of  war,  to  be  treated  according  to  the 
usages  of  civilized  nations  ?  Surely,  not  even  Santa 
Anna  would  dare  to  disregard  these  usages,  so  far 
as  to  kill  prisoners  who  had  surrendered  under  a 
guarantee  of  safety.  But,  all  had  heard  terrible 
stories  of  the  cruelty  and  perfidy  of  Santa  Anna; 
and  it  was  the  thought  of  these  stories  that  made 
brave  men  shudder  when  they  saw  the  bits  of  white 
cloth  and  remembered  that  the  men  thus  marked 
had  been  captured  before  they  had  actually  fought 
against  Mexico,  while  the  other  prisoners  had  sur- 
rendered only  after  desperate  fighting  during  which 
many  of  Santa  Anna's  bravest  soldiers  had  been 
killed. 

In  the  midst  of  these  gloomy  and  terrible  fore- 
bodings, Colonel  Fannin,  who  had  gone  to  Copano 


338  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

to  see  if  a  boat  might  be  secured  to  take  his  men  to 
New  Orleans,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  capitu- 
lation, returned.  Colonel  Fannin  found  no  boat  in 
the  harbor ;  but  he  came  back  convinced  of  the  good 
faith  of  the  Mexicans,  and  laughed  away  the  fears 
of  his  men. 

"We  will  all  see  home  again  soon/'  he  declared, 
and  his  eyes  softened  and  he  smiled  tenderly,  as  he 
thought  of  his  own  dear  wife  and  child.  "Yes, 
boys,  we  are  going  home,  just  as  soon  as  a  boat  ar- 
rives at  Copano  to  take  us  away.  It  is  all  ar- 
ranged." 

"Hurrah !  Hurrah !"  shouted  one  of  the  men  joy- 
fully. "Home,  and  the  wife  and  the  kids !  Twill 
seem  like  heaven  after  this,"  and  his  sunken  eyes 
lighted.  "Hurrah  for  home !" 

"Home,  home,  sweet  home.  Be  it  ever  so  humble 
there  is  no  place  like  home,"  sang  a  sweet,  clear 
voice,  and  almost  instantly  the  voice  was  joined  by 
the  soft  notes  of  a  flute  that  one  of  the  men  had 
managed  somehow  to  retain. 

Tears  were  in  the  eyes  of  both  the  singer  and  the 
player,  and  tears  were  rolling  down  the  bearded 
cheeks  of  their  listeners,  as  they  crowded  round  the 
musicians  and  joined  in  the  singing. 

Mexican  officers,  pausing  for  a  few  minutes  in- 
side the  church,  listened  wonderingly  to  the  glad 
voices  of  the  prisoners,  and  some  of  them  went 
away  sadly  shaking  their  heads  and  muttering, 
"Pobrecitos!  Pobrecitos!"  (poor  fellows!  poor 


A  Piece  of  White  Cloth  339 

fellows!).  Late  in  the  evening — the  prisoners,  full 
of  thoughts  of  the  homes  and  the  dear  ones  they 
expected  soon  to  see  again,  continued  their  rejoic- 
ings until  late  at  night — Colonel  Portilla,  who  had 
been  left  in  command  at  Goliad  by  General  Urrea, 
entered  the  church  and  stood  for  a  few  minutes  near 
the  doorway  listening  to  the  mad  Americanos.  When 
told  the  cause  of  the  rejoicing  he  became  greatly 
agitated  and  hurried  away,  muttering  angrily  and 
indignantly  to  himself  something  about  his  not  be- 
ing a  butcher.  A  little  while  after  his  departure, 
Vasquez  and  Big  Ike  came  in  and  stood,  leering 
and  smiling,  in  the  doorway.  Big  Ike  had  never 
ventured  within  reach  of  the  hands  of  the  Texans 
since  the  night  he  had  struck  Tom,  and  this  was 
the  first  time  the  boys  had  seen  Vasquez  since  that 
same  night.  Now  the  little  snake-eyes  of  the  Mex- 
ican were  shining  with  triumph,  as  they  rested 
gloatingly  on  the  forms  of  Trav  and  Tom  in  the 
midst  of  the  singing  Americans,  and  the  huge,  red- 
whiskered  face  of  Big  Ike  was  glowing  with  some 
strong  emotion  that  made  him  look  more  like  a 
fiend  than  ever.  But  neither  Trav  nor  Tom  nor 
any  of  the  other  Texans  paid  the  slightest  attention 
to  them;  and,  after  standing  in  the  doorway  for 
some  ten  minutes,  they  both  passed  out  of  the 
church,  laughing  boisterously,  as  if  they  had  just 
witnessed  an  exceedingly  funny  joke. 

"Oh,  but  I  am  glad  the  Mexicans  are  going  to 
treat  us  fair  after  all,"  Trav  said,  when  at  last  he 


340          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  Tom  stretched  themselves  out  on  the  hard,  dirty 
floor  of  the  church  to  go  to  sleep,  after  the  rejoicing 
had  quieted  down.  "I  had  begun  to  fear  that  some- 
thing dreadful  was  going  to  happen ;  but  I  guess  it 
is  all  right  now." 

"But,  did  you  see  the  faces  of  Vasquez  and  Big 
Ike?  Did  you  see  their  faces  as  they  stood  in  the 
doorway?  I  caught  the  eye  of  Vasquez  once,  and 
he  drew  his  hand  across  his  throat  and  grinned. 
What  do  you  suppose  he  meant?"  and  Tom  shud- 
dered. 

"The  cowardly  skunk !"  and  Trav's  jaws  snapped 
together.  "He  was  just  trying  to  frighten  us,  try- 
ing to  spoil  the  good  news  Fannin  had  'brought. 
But,  I  don't  want  to  think  of  him.  I'm  going  to 
sleep,"  and  Trav  rolled  over  and  resolutely  closed 
his  eyes ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  more  both  boys  were 
sound  asleep  and  dreaming  of  their  dear  homes  in 
the  little  log  cabins,  where  they  had  passed  so  many 
happy  hours. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

ONE  PALM  SUNDAY  MORNING 

THE  next  morning,  Sunday,  Palm  Sunday, 
March  27,  1836,  Trav  and  Tom  were  awakened 
early  by  the  blare  of  bugles  and  the  loud  beatings 
of  drums;  and  a  few  minutes  later  officers  hurried 
into  the  church  and  ordered  the  prisoners  to  fall  in 
line  by  companies. 

"I  wonder  what  is  up  now/'  Trav  said,  his  eyes 
beginning  to  sparkle,  as  he  and  Tom  fell  in  line 
and  marched  out  of  the  church.  "Maybe  they  are 
getting  ready  to  send  us  home.  Anyway  it  seems 
mighty  good  to  get  out  of  that  old  church,  and  to 
breathe  fresh,  clean  air  again." 

"Shouldn't  wonder  if  they  were  going  to  march 
us  to  Copano,"  Tom  replied.  "So  that  those  who 
are  going  to  New  Orleans  can  be  there  ready  to  take 
the  boat  when  it  comes.  The  Mexicans  are  not  so 
bad  after  all,  are  they?" 

"Jest  hold  onto  tew  your  decision  'bout  th'  Mexies 
'til  we're  out  of  th'  woods,"  warned  Jed  Watkins, 
who  marched  directly  behind  the  two  boys.  "I 
don't  like  th'  look  in  them  officers'  eyes  a  little  bit. 
'Minds  me  of  th'  eyes  of  a  rattler,  jest  afore  it 
strikes." 

341 


342          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

By  this  time  the  prisoners  were  all  out  of  the 
church ;  and  the  officers  now  lined  them  up  in  double 
file  between  two  rows  of  fully-armed  Mexican  sol- 
diers, and  formed  them  into  three  divisions. 

"Where  are  we  bound  for  now,  cap  ?"  Jed  Wat- 
kins  asked,  as  the  officer  in  charge  of  his  division 
passed. 

"Home.  You  all  go  home  quick,  now,"  and  his 
black  eyes  glittered.  "No  be  prisoners  much 
longer.  Soon  all  free,"  and  his  laugh  was  joined 
in  by  the  soldiers  standing  near. 

"Wai,  it  sounds  mighty  curious  tew  hear  a  Mex- 
ican laugh  when  a  prisoner  is  tew  be  set  free, 
danged  if  it  don't,"  and  Jed  Watkins's  eyes  searched 
the  face  of  the  officer  suspiciously.  "Mighty  curi- 
ous," and  he  glanced  up  and  down  the  long  lines  of 
waiting  prisoners.  "An'  thar  ain't  a  white-ragged 
arm  'mong  th'  lot.  Reckon  some  Mexican  devil- 
ment is  brewin',  but  what,  is  more'n  I  can  tell." 

At  this  moment  the  command  to  march  was  given, 
and  the  three  divisions  started  off  in  three  different 
directions,  with  armed  Mexican  soldiers  on  each 
side  of  them  and  squads  of  cavalry  following  in 
their  rear. 

"Wai,  I  swun,  if  we  ain't  takin'  th'  road  tew 
Copano!"  and  Jed  Watkins's  face  cleared.  "Never 
knowed  a  Mexican  tew  tell  th'  truth  afore,  when  a 
lie  would  do  as  well.  But  we  sure  have  started  for 
Copano  all  right,"  and  something  of  the  look  of 
suspicion  went  out  of  his  rugged  face. 


One  Palm  Sunday  Morning  343 

As  the  little  band  of  Texan  prisoners  marched 
through  the  streets  of  the  town  between  the  rows 
of  Mexican  soldiers,  many  of  the  Mexican  women, 
watching  them  from  the  doors  and  windows  of  the 
houses,  looked  at  them  pityingly  and  murmured, 
"Pobrecitos!  Pobrecitos!"  (poor  fellows!  poor 
fellows!);  and  once,  when  passing  near  a  mon- 
astery, Trav  and  Tom  felt  a  few  drops  of  water 
falling  on  them,  and,  on  looking  up,  saw  a  priest 
leaning  over  the  parapet  of  the  flat  roof  of  the  mon- 
astery and  sprinkling  holy  water  down  upon  the 
heads  of  the  passing  prisoners.  But,  at  that  mo- 
ment, neither  boy  thought  of  the  terrible  significance 
of  this  action. 

By  the  side  of  Trav  marched  a  couple  of  Mex- 
ican soldiers,  who,  as  they  walked  along,  eyed  him 
closely  and  once  or  twice  appeared  to  be  trying  to 
attract  his  attention.  There  was  something  in  the 
forms  and  faces  of  these  men  that  looked  familiar 
to  Trav,  and  yet  he  could  not  remember  who  they 
were,  nor  where  he  had  seen  them. 

"Just  take  a  look  at  those  two  fellows  marching 
alongside  of  me,"  Trav  at  length  whispered  to  Tom. 
"I'm  sure  I've  seen  them  before,  and  they  act  as  if 
they  knew  me  and  wanted  to  tell  me  something. 
See  if  you  know  them." 

"No,  I  can't  think  who  they  are,"  Tom  whispered 
back,  after  he  had  looked  at  the  men.  "But  their 
faces  certainly  do  look  familiar ;  and  I  am  sure  they 
know  us  and  don't  want  their  comrades  to  know 


344  I*1  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

that  they  know  us.  One  of  them  put  his  finger  to 
his  lips  and  shook  his  head,  while  I  was  looking  at 
him,  as  much  as  to  say,  'don't  let  anybody  know 
that  you  know  us.'  I  wonder  who  they  can  be? 
and  what  they  mean? —  Now,  now,  what  are  we 
going  out  into  that  field  for  ?"  and  a  look  of  alarm 
came  into  Tom's  face,  as  the  line  of  prisoners  was 
suddenly  deflected  from  the  road  and  turned  into 
an  open  field,  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the 
town. 

"Jumpin'  grasshoppers !"  and  Jed  Watkins  turned 
a  startled  face  to  the  soldiers.  "What  are  we  goin' 
inthar  for?" 

"Just  to  give  you  a  rest,  a  long  rest,"  laughed  one 
of  the  soldiers. 

Before  Jed  could  answer,  the  line  of  prisoners 
was  halted  a  few  feet  from  a  ditch,  alongside  of 
which  grew  a  scattered  hedge  of  bushes.  Then,  at 
a  sudden  command,  the  line  of  Mexican  soldiers  on 
Trav's  side  of  the  prisoners,  the  side  next  to  the 
ditch,  passed  swiftly  through  their  ranks  and  joined 
the  line  of  soldiers  on  the  opposite  side.  As  one  of 
the  Mexicans,  who  had  attracted  Trav's  and  Tom's 
attention,  was  about  to  pass  the  boys,  he  suddenly 
lurched  toward  Trav  and  the  two  went  to  the 
ground  together. 

"Me  friend — Listen,"  and  the  fellow  hugged 
Trav  so  closely  that  his  mouth  was  next  to  Trav's 
ear,  while  he  appeared  to  be  struggling  furiously 
with  him.  "Just  before  shoot,  drop  quick,  flat. 


One  Palm  Sunday  Morning  345 

Then,  after  shoot,  jump  up  quick  and  run  through 
bushes.  Maybe  no  catch,  no  kill,"  and  the  man,  his 
mouth  pouring  forth  a  string  of  Mexican  oaths  at 
Trav  for  tripping  him  up,  leaped  to  his  feet,  gave 
Trav  a  brutal  kick,  and  sprang  to  his  place  in  the 
ranks. 

For  an  instant  Trav's  mind  was  in  too  great  a 
whirl  for  him  to  think  clearly  or  to  comprehend 
exactly  what  the  Mexican  meant.  Then  it  all  came 
to  him  in  a  flash,  and,  with  a  cry  of  horror,  he 
jumped  to  his  feet. 

"God  in  heaven,  they  are  going  to  shoot  us !"  he 
yelled;  and  then,  as  he  heard  the  sharp  commands 
of  the  Mexican  officers  ordering  the  prisoners  to 
turn  their  backs  on  the  soldiers  and  sit  down,  he 
gripped  Tom  by  the  shoulders  and  whispered  fran- 
tically: "Drop  flat  on  the  ground  the  moment  you 
hear  the  command  to  shoot.  Jump  up  and  run  the 
moment  they  shoot.  Do  you— do  you  understand  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  came  from  Tom's  white  lips.  "Oh, 
this  is  awful!" 

"Don't  turn  your  backs.  Don't  set  down.  Face 
th'  devils.  Fall  flat  on  your  faces  th'  instant  before 
they  shoot.  Then  up  and  leg  it  across  th'  ditch — 
Now,  shoot  and  be  damned!"  and  Jed  Watkins 
whirled  and  faced  the  Mexican  soldiers,  his  eyes 
flaming  with  an  honest  man's  wrath  at  the  brutal 
treachery  of  their  cowardly  action. 

A  number  of  the  prisoners  standing  near  fol- 
lowed Jed's  example,  and,  refusing  to  turn  their 


346  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

backs,  resolutely  faced  the  soldiers  drawn  up  not 
ten  paces  away;  and  one  of  them,  pulling  off  his 
cap  and  waving  it  around  his  head,  shouted: 
"Hurrah  for  Texas!  Liberty  and  Texas!" 

Trav  and  Tom,  their  eyes  intently  watching  every 
movement  of  the  soldiers,  their  every  muscle  tense, 
their  faces  white  and  lips  tightly  compressed,  stood 
ready,  waiting  for  the  fatal  instant  when  life  would 
depend  on  the  quickness  of  their  actions;  and  by 
their  sides  stood  the  long  line  of  prisoners,  waiting, 
all  waiting,  for  the  Mexican  bullets.  Not  a  cry  for 
mercy !  not  a  voice  was  raised  in  vain  pleadings  for 
life;  not  a  coward  among  that  splendid  body  of 
American  manhood !  And  many  of  them  were  but 
little  more  than  boys ! 

The  wait  was  brief.  Almost  at  the  instant  of  the 
shout,  "Liberty  and  Texas!"  the  command  was 
given,  and  the  guard  threw  their  guns  to  their 
shoulders. 

"Fire!" 

And  all  along  the  line  the  muskets  flamed;  and 
all  along  the  line  the  prisoners  fell,  writhing  with 
death- wounds,  to  the  ground;  but,  here  and  there 
among  the  number,  one  jumped  to  his  feet,  and, 
rushing  through  the  hedge  and  leaping  across  the 
ditch,  raced  for  his  life  across  the  prairie  beyond, 
with  the  shouting  Mexican  cavalry  galloping  hard 
after  him. 

At  the  instant  the  command,  "Fire!"  was  given, 
Trav  and  Tom  fell  flat  on  their  faces.  They  heard 


One  Palm  Sunday  Morning  ^  \y 

the  bullets  whiz  above  their  heads  as  they  fell,  they 
heard  the  cries  of  agony  from  the  hit  men  around 
them;  and  then  both  boys  jumped  to  their  feet, 
plunged  through  the  hedge,  jumped  the  ditch,  and 
were  running  madly  across  the  open  prairie  be- 
yond, before  they  really  knew  what  they  were  doing. 

"Are  you  hit?  Are  you  hit?"  Trav  asked  anx- 
iously. Tom  was  running  only  a  few  feet  from  his 
side. 

"No.     Are  you?" 

"Not  a  scratch,"  and  Trav  glanced  fearfully  be- 
hind him. 

"Hurry !  Hurry !"  he  shouted.  "There  are  two 
of  the  soldiers  after  us !  Hurry !  Hurry !  They're 
not  more  than  a  couple  of  rods  behind,"  and  he  re- 
doubled his  own  efforts. 

Tom  turned  his  head,  and  saw  two  Mexicans,  the 
naked  blades  of  their  knives  gleaming  in  their 
hands,  running  close  behind  them.  It  needed  no 
second  glance  to  tell  that  they  were  after  Trav  and 
him.  He  also  saw  the  Mexican  cavalry  galloping 
after  other  fleeing  Texans,  shooting  at  them  with 
their  carbines  and  pistols,  and  thrusting  at  them 
with  their  long  lances. 

"Make  for  the  woods !  Make  for  the  woods !"  he 
shouted  to  Trav,  at  the  same  time  turning  a  little  to 
their  right,  where  the  outskirts  of  a  thick  belt  of 
timber  showed.  "It's  our  only  chance  to  get  away 
from  those  devils  behind  us." 

A  number  of  the  cavalrymen  saw  the  boys,  but 


348          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

they  also  saw  the  two  Mexicans  so  close  behind  that 
they  looked  as  if  they  were  about  to  overtake  the 
fugitives,  and  they  left  them  to  their  knives.  There 
were  other  fleeing  Texans  that  appeared  to  be  more 
in  need  of  their  bullets  and  lances. 

As  Trav  and  Tom  ran  they  heard  many  shots 
and  cries  from  behind  and  around  them,  and  from  a 
distance  came  the  sounds  of  volleys  and  scattered 
firing,  which  told  them  that  the  other  two  divisions 
of  prisoners  had  met  with  the  same  dreadful  fate. 

For  half  the  distance  to  the  woods  the  Mexicans 
did  not  seem  to  gain  a  foot  on  the  boys,  then,  slowly, 
inch  by  inch,  they  drew  nearer,  until,  when  the 
panting  boys  plunged  in  among  the  trees,  they  were 
not  ten  feet  behind  them. 

The  two  boys  were  less  than  four  feet  apart  and 
running  side  by  side,  when  they  entered  the  woods. 
Both  saw  a  narrow  opening  through  a  thick  clump 
of  bushes,  and  both  sprang  for  it  at  the  same  in- 
stant, with  the  result  that  they  collided  so  violently 
that  they  were  hurled  to  the  ground,  and  fell  one  on 
top  of  the  other.  Before  either  lad  could  scramble 
to  his  feet  the  two  Mexicans  were  upon  them,  their 
knives  gleaming  wickedly  in  their  hands ;  and  Trav 
and  Tom  found  themselves  struggling  in  the  grips 
of  the  two  Mexican  soldiers  who  had  attracted  their 
attention  just  before  the  shooting  began. 

"No  yell ! — No  yell !"  one  of  the  men  whispered 
excitedly,  as  they  held  the  two  boys  tightly,  "We 


One  Palm  Sunday  Morning  349 

friends — No  hurt;  maybe  save — No  yell — Keep 
still,"  and  they  hastily  dragged  the  two  boys  far- 
ther into  the  clump  of  bushes,  where  they  were 
completely  hidden  from  anyone  passing  near. 

Trav  and  Tom  stared  in  amazement  into  the  faces 
of  the  two  men.  Both  looked  familiar,  yet  they 
could  recollect  neither. 

"You  not  know,"  and  one  of  the  men  smiled. 
"We  two  Mexican  soldiers  you  wound  in  fight ;  but 
not  kill,  no  leave  for  wolves  to  eat.  Take  with  you. 
Woman,  with  face  like  holy  saints,  care  for  wounds. 
Make  well.  We  no  forget.  Save  you,  if  can," 
and  again  the  Mexicans  smiled  reassuringly. 

The  boys  understood  now  why  the  faces  of  the 
Mexicans  looked  so  familiar.  They  were  the  two 
men  who  had  been  left  on  the  field  wounded,  when 
they  had  been  so  gallantly  rescued  from  Vasquez 
by  Davy  Crockett  and  Sam  McNelly  and  their  com- 
rades, and  who  had  subsequently  escaped  during 
the  street  rioting  in  San  Antonio. 

"Now,"  and  one  of  the  Mexicans  pointed  to  a  de- 
pression in  the  ground  made  by  the  upturned  roots 
of  a  tree.  "Crawl  in  there.  We  cover  with  leaves, 
all  but  mouths.  Stay  there  till  night.  When  dark, 
go  east  fast  as  legs  can  take  you.  Maybe  escape. 
Hurry.  No  waste  time,"  and  again  he  pointed  to 
the  depression. 

Both  boys  understood  the  value  of  every  minute 
too  well  to  pause,  even  to  thank  their  rescuers  more 


350          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

than  by  a  hastily  spoken  word  and  a  warm  grip  of 
the  hand,  and  made  haste  to  crawl  into  the  hole  dug 
by  the  uprooting  of  the  tree. 

"Here,  take  knives.  Sorry,  no  got  guns,"  and 
the  two  Mexicans  handed  Trav  and  Tom  their 
knives,  as  the  boys  crouched  down  in  the  hole. 
"Now,  keep  very  still.  No  crawl  out  'til  dark," 
and,  gathering  up  the  fallen  leaves  that  here  covered 
the  ground,  the  Mexicans  scattered  them  over  the 
boys  until  they  were  completely  hidden  from  sight. 
Then,  to  further  add  to  their  security,  they  threw 
on  top  of  the  leaves  a  little  pile  of  loose  dry  brush, 
and,  after  carefully  arranging  the  whole  to  look  as 
near  as  possible  as  if  it  had  lain  there  undisturbed 
for  some  time,  they  silently  departed,  leaving  Trav 
and  Tom  so  securely  hidden  that  a  dozen  Mexican 
soldiers  might  pass  within  a  few  feet  of  them  and 
never  have  the  least  suspicion  of  their  presence. 

As  for  Trav  and  Tom  they  lay  very  still,  medi- 
tating with  exceedingly  thankful  hearts  upon  this 
new  and  more  pleasing  phase  of  Mexican  character, 
which,  like  a  lily  in  a  morass,  had  blossomed  in  the 
midst  of  one  of  the  most  brutal  and  cruel  massacres 
in  all  history. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

THE  GREAT  ROCK  ON   THE   HILL 

THROUGHOUT  that  long  March  day  Trav  and 
Tom  lay  hidden  underneath  the  brush  and 
leaves,  a  prey  to  a  thousand  dreadful  fears  for 
themselves  and  those  dear  to  them.  Again  and 
again  Mexican  soldiers,  in  search  of  hiding  fugi- 
tives, passed  within  a  few  feet  of  their  place  of 
concealment;  and  once  the  soldiers  found  a  poor 
fellow  so  near  to  where  the  boys  lay  that  they  heard 
his  cry  of  agony  when  the  bayonets  were  thrust 
through  him.  But,  fortunately,  so  skilfully  had  the 
two  friendly  Mexicans  concealed  their  hiding-place, 
that  they  were  not  found.  For  a  couple  of  hours 
they  heard  an  occasional  shot  and  the  sound  of  the 
man-hunters  tramping  through  the  brush  of  the  sur- 
rounding woods ;  then  the  silence  of  the  dead  settled 
down  over  prairie  and  trees. 

The  Mexicans  had  completed  their  dreadful  work. 
Fannin  and  his  little  army  were  no  more. 

Slowly  the  hours  of  daylight  passed ;  and,  at  last, 
the  sun  went  down,  and  the  dark  shadows  of  night 
fell  across  the  prairie  and  gathered  underneath  the 
trees  and  lay  thick  and  black  around  the  little  clump 

351 


352  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

of  bushes  in  the  midst  of  which  Trav  and  Tom  had 
awaited  the  coming  of  darkness  with  an  impatient 
anxiety  that  had  made  their  bed  of  leaves  an  ex- 
ceedingly uncomfortable  place  long  before  night. 
But  it  was  not  until  the  darkness  became  so  dense 
that  a  tree  a  rod  away  was  invisible  to  their  eyes, 
that  they  ventured  to  leave  their  hiding-place. 
Then,  as  noiselessly  as  possible,  they  pushed  the 
brush  off  that  lay  on  top  of  them  and  crawled  out  of 
the  leaves.  For  a  few  minutes  they  paused  to 
stretch  and  rub  their  stiffened  limbs ;  and  then,  mov- 
ing as  cautiously  as  Indians,  they  hurried  through 
the  woods  to  the  prairie  beyond,  and,  taking  their 
direction  from  the  stars  shining  in  a  clear,  moonless 
sky,  started  off  across  the  lonely  prairie,  going  as 
nearly  directly  east  as  possible. 

So  far  neither  boy  had  spoken  a  word  concerning 
the  dreadful  massacre.  The  horrors  of  it  were  too 
vividly  in  their  minds  for  either  lad  to  care  to  talk 
about  them.  But  now,  as  they  paused  for  a  few 
minutes'  breathing  on  the  summit  of  a  little  hill 
some  two  miles  from  the  woods,  and,  looking  back, 
saw  in  the  distance  the  twinkling  lights  of  Goliad, 
both  boys  shuddered  and  Tom  said :  "I  can't  make 
it  seem  real.  It's  like  some  horrible  dream." 

"I  wish  it  was  a  dream !  I  wish  it  was  a  dream !" 
Trav  repeated  gloomily.  "To  think  of  all  of  those 
brave  fellows  murdered!  It's  terrible!  Horrible! 
I  don't  see  how  anyone  can  trust  to  the  honor  of  a 
Mexican  after  this." 


The  Great  Rock  on  the  Hill  353 

"And  yet,"  Tom  reminded  him,  "we  owe  our  lives 
to  the  honor  of  two  Mexican  soldiers." 

"I  know.  I  do  not  forget,"  Trav  answered. 
"And  yet  they  were  only  two  out  of  hundreds. 
Maybe  I  am  too  bitter,  but  when  I  think  of  Fannin 
and  the  poor  fellows  murdered  with  him,  I  can  al- 
most wish  an  earthquake  would  happen  and  swallow 
up  all  Mexico.  Oh,  I  know  it  is  wrong  to  talk  that 
way,  but  I  can't  help  it.  And — and  mother  and 
Kitty  and  possibly  our  fathers  are  still  in  the  hands 
of  those  devils !  And  we  can  do  nothing,  nothing, 
to  help  them!"  and  the  poor,  overwrought  boy's 
voice  trembled.  "We  can  do  little  even  for  our- 
selves, without  food  and  without  weapons,  alone  in 
this  wilderness,  which,  now  that  Fannin  has  been 
conquered,  will  be  overrun  with  Mexicans." 

"Yes,  we  can,"  Tom  answered  firmly.  "We  can 
find  General  Sam  Houston  just  as  soon  as  possible. 
As  long  as  Houston  is  left  there  is  hope  for  Texas. 
And  we  are  not  without  weapons.  You  forget  the 
knives  the  Mexicans  left  us.  Just  think  what  weVe 
escaped  and  keep  up  courage.  We'll  come  out  on 
top  yet.  Just  wait  and  see  if  we  don't.  But  this 
is  too  dangerous  a  region  for  us  to  be  standing  here. 
We  must  be  going  and  get  as  far  away  from  Goliad 
as  possible  before  morning." 

"You're  right,"  Trav  agreed,  the  look  of  courage 
and  determination  coming  back  into  his  face.  "We 
must  get  away  from  here  and  to  General  Sam  Hous- 
ton just  as  speedily  as  we  can.  Come  on,"  and, 


354          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

without  more  words,  the  two  boys  hurried  on  over 
the  dark  and  silent  prairie. 

Remember,  boys,  before  you  condemn  Trav's  mo- 
mentary weakness,  all  that  he  had  been  called  upon 
to  endure  during  that  terrible  day — the  horrors  of 
the  massacre,  the  race  for  life  across  the  plains,  the 
unexpected  rescue,  the  suspense  and  dread  of  the 
long  hours  under  the  brush  heap  and  the  dead 
leaves,  the  agony  of  the  thought  of  what  might  be 
happening  to  his  mother  and  Kitty,  and  then  add 
to  all  this  the  fact  that  the  only  food  he  had  had 
during  the  last  twenty-four  hours  was  a  little  chunk 
of  raw  meat  given  to  him  early  that  morning — re- 
member all  these  things  and  you  will  not  wonder  at 
his  weakness,  only  at  the  courage  and  pluck  and 
endurance  that  enabled  these  two  boys  to  strike  out 
so  bravely  and  uncomplainingly  across  the  desolate 
plains,  armed  only  with  knives  where  a  gun  was 
almost  as  essential  to  life  as  food. 

All  that  night  the  tired  boys  hurried  on  eastward, 
without  seeing  any  other  signs  of  human  life  than 
the  distant  camp-fires  of  a  detachment  of  Mexican 
soldiers ;  and,  when  the  light  of  day  came,  they  crept 
into  the  thick  brush,  growing  along  the  banks  of  a 
small  stream  of  water,  and  lay  there  hidden  until 
the  darkness  of  night  came,  when  they  resumed 
their  eastward  journey.  They  found  in  the  brush 
the  nest  of  a  wild  turkey,  with  half  a  dozen  eggs  in 
it,  and  these,  with  a  couple  of  quails  they  knocked 
over  with  stones,  all  eaten  raw — they  did  not  dare 


The  Great  Rock  on  the  Hill  355 

to  build  a  fire — was  their  only  food  for  that  day 
and  the  next. 

Thus,  for  a  week,  the  plucky  boys  wandered  alone 
over  vast  plains  and  through  great  forests  and  cane- 
brakes,  traveling  only  at  night  and  keeping  their 
direction  as  best  they  could  by  the  stars.  For  food 
they  ate  anything  they  could  find  or  kill  that  was 
eatable — the  eggs  of  birds,  small  animals  knocked 
down  with  stones  or  their  knives,  and  turtles  and 
shell  fish  from  the  rivers,  cooked  over  fires  kindled 
by  sparks  struck  from  flints  by  their  knives,  when- 
ever they  thought  it  safe  to  build  a  fire. 

They  frequently  saw  the  camp-fires  of  the  Mex- 
ican soldiers  at  night,  and  sometimes  during  the  day 
troops  of  cavalry  passed  near  their  hiding-places, 
but  never  once  did  the  Mexicans  catch  sight  of  the 
boys.  They  had  had  their  fill  of  Mexican  captivity, 
and  avoided  every  sign  of  a  Mexican  as  they  would 
the  plague.  Everywhere  they  saw  evidences  of  the 
terror  into  which  the  whole  country  had  been 
thrown  by  the  coming  of  the  Mexicans.  All  the 
settlers  had  fled,  and  their  abandoned  homes  and 
crops  had  been  destroyed  by  the  bands  of  ravaging 
Mexicans  that  swept  over  the  country.  The  entire 
region  through  which  the  boys  were  passing  had 
been  left  to  the  Mexicans,  the  wolves,  and  the  buz- 
zards. 

"I  think  it  will  be  safe  for  us  to  travel  by  sun- 
light now,"  Trav  declared  on  the  morning  of  the 
seventh  day  out  from  Goliad.  "We  didn't  see  a 


356          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

sign  of  a  Mexican  last  night  nor  the  day  before, 
and  I'm  getting  mighty  tired  of  stumbling  along 
through  the  darkness." 

"So  am  I,"  Tom  acquiesced.  "Oh,  dear,  I  won- 
der if  we  ever  will  get  out  of  this  wilderness  and  see 
a  friendly  human  face  again.  Let  us  climb  to  the 
the  top  of  that  hill  and  have  a  look  around,  and  then, 
if  there  are  no  Mexicans  in  sight,  we'll  go  on,"  and 
Tom  pointed  to  a  hill  that  rose  high  above  the  level 
of  the  prairie  a  mile  away. 

Directly  on  top  of  the  hill  a  huge  rock  thrust  its 
head  out  of  the  ground  a  dozen  or  more  feet  up  in 
the  air;  and  toward  this  rock  Trav  and  Tom  now 
cautiously  made  their  way,  intending  to  utilize  it  as 
a  screen  while  they  examined  the  country  beyond. 
The  side  of  the  rock  toward  Trav  and  Tom  rose 
almost  perpendicularly  up  out  of  the  ground,  as  if 
some  Titan  in  the  ages  past  had  cut  a  slice  off  it 
with  a  huge  knife,  while  the  other  side  sloped  steeply 
downward  from  its  top  to  the  ground.  When  the 
two  boys  reached  this  precipitous  side  they  paused 
for  a  moment  behind  its  shelter. 

"You  take  a  look  from  that  end  of  the  rock," 
Trav  said  to  Tom,  "and  I'll  have  a  look  from  this 
end,"  and  Trav  started  toward  one  end  of  the  rock, 
while  Tom  went  to  the  other. 

In  less  than  a  minute  both  boys  were  back  near 
the  center  of  the  rock,  their  faces  white  and  ex- 
cited. 


The  Great  Rock  on  the  Hill  357 

"There's  a  lot  of  Mexican  soldiers  camped  along- 
side a  little  river  not  more  than  a  couple  of  miles 
from  here,"  Trav  whispered,  as  if  fearful  that  the 
distant  Mexicans  might  hear  his  voice,  if  he  spoke 
aloud. 

"I  know.  I  saw  them/'  Tom  answered,  speaking 
also  in  a  whisper.  "There  must  be  four  or  five 
hundred  of  them,  cavalry  and  infantry.  And  one 
of  their  mounted  pickets  is  not  more  than  a  mile 
from  this  rock.  What  shall  we  do  now?" 

"I  don't  know  just  yet,"  Trav  replied  doubt- 
fully. "But  we  certainly  can't  go  on  now.  Let's 
watch  them  for  a  while  and  think,"  and  he  started 
back  to  his  end  of  the  rock,  while  Tom  again  sought 
the  other  end. 

For  fully  half  an  hour  the  two  boys  lay,  intently 
watching  the  scene  at  the  Mexican  encampment; 
then,  suddenly,  both  lads  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
hurried  toward  each  other. 

"They  are  coming — the  cavalry — right  toward 
us!"  gasped  Tom. 

"Yes,"  cried  Trav.  "We  must  get  away  from 
here  as  fast  as  our  legs  will  take  us.  Come,"  and 
he  started  to  run  down  the  slope  of  the  hill;  but, 
before  he  had  taken  six  steps,  he  stopped  abruptly 
and  dropped  down  into  the  grass  that  here  grew  a 
foot  and  a  half  high,  shouting  to  Tom  as  he  did  so : 
"Down,  down  quick !  There's  a  lot  more  Mexicans 
coming  across  the  plains!" 


358          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Tom  gave  one  glance  ahead  of  him  across  the 
treeless  plain,  and  saw  a  body  of  Mexican  cavalry 
not  more  than  a  mile  away,  riding  slowly  toward 
the  rock  on  the  hilltop,  and  dropped  in  the  grass  by 
the  side  of  Trav,  who  lay  near  what  appeared  to  be  a 
large  wolf  hole  dug  in  the  top  of  the  hill  near  the 
rock. 

"What — what  can  we  do?  They're  coming  from 
both  sides  of  the  hill  right  toward  this  rock,  and 
there's  no  place  to  hide,"  and  Tom  gripped  hold  of 
Trav's  shoulder  excitedly.  "If  we  try  to  run  they 
will  see  us  and  easily  catch  us  with  their  horses,  and, 
if  we  stay  here,  they  are  sure  to  find  us.  Oh,  what 
shall  we  do?" 

Trav,  before  answering,  crept  to  the  little  bare 
spot  in  front  of  the  wolf  hole,  and,  cautiously  lifting 
his  head,  peered  over  the  top  of  the  grass.  There 
was  not  a  tree,  nor  a  clump  of  bushes,  nor  a  rock  in 
sight  behind  which  they  might  hide. 

"We've  got  to  run,"  he  said,  crouching  down 
again.  "Both  parties  are  headed  straight  for  this 
rock,  and  if  we  stay  here  they  are  sure  to  find  us. 
Maybe  if  we  bend  low  when  we  run  they  won't  see 
us,  and  we  can  get  far  enough  away  to  hide  in  the 
grass  until  they  have  passed.  Are  you  ready  ?"  and 
Trav,  in  order  to  get  a  good  start,  thrust  his  feet  a 
little  ways  down  into  the  wolf  hole. 

"Yes,  yes,"  Tom  replied,  crouching  ready  to  jump 
to  his  feet. 


The  Great  Rock  on  the  Hill  359 

"Then— Oh-h-h-h!"  and  Trav's  voice  ended  in  a 
yell  of  alarm,  while  Tom's  startled  eyes  saw  him 
suddenly  disappear  in  the  wolf  hole,  as  if  caught 
and  drawn  in  by  some  irresistible  force. 

For  a  couple  of  minutes  Tom  sat  as  if  every  mus- 
cle had  been  suddenly  paralyzed,  staring  blankly 
into  the  mouth  of  the  hole,  too  dumbfounded  to  utter 
a  word  or  to  make  a  move.  Then  his  bulging  eyes 
saw  a  furry  head  slowly  thrusting  itself  up  out  of 
the  hole,  followed  by  a  pair  of  shoulders;  and  the 
next  moment  the  astounded  boy  was  looking  into 
the  eyes  of  his  father,  shining  with  gladness  under- 
neath his  coonskin  cap,  and  in  another  moment  he 
was  in  his  father's  arms. 

"My  boy — "  At  that  instant  Jonas  Gifford 
caught  sight  of  the  Mexican  cavalry.  "My  God, 
the  Mexicans!"  he  cried.  "In  with  you,  quick!" 
and  he  pointed  to  the  wolf  hole. 

For  an  instant  Tom  hesitated.  Even  after  he  had 
seen  his  father  come  out  of  it  he  did  not  like  the 
looks  of  that  wolf  hole.  Then,  aided  by  a  strong 
shove  from  his  father,  he  plunged  head  first  down 
into  it,  and  began  crawling  along  on  his  hands  and 
knees;  for,  once  in  the  hole,  he  found  that  it  had 
been  enlarged  sufficiently  to  allow  a  large  man  to 
move  along  on  his  hands  and  knees  in  comfort. 

"Keep  right  on,"  urged  his  father,  who  was  fol- 
lowing close  behind  him.  "This  is  the  slickest  hid- 
ing-place in  all  America." 


360  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

A  moment  later  Tom's  head  came  in  contact  with 
a  heavy  skin  hung  across  the  hole;  and  the  next 
instant  he  tumbled  headlong  into  a  small  cave, 
whose  floor  was  some  three  feet  below  the  level  of 
the  hole. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

THE  MESSAGE  IN  THE  KNIFE  SHEATH 

HTOM  GIFFORD  was  never  more  surprised  in 
1  his  life  than  he  was  at  the  moment  when  he 
struggled  to  his  feet,  after  his  tumble  in  the  wolf 
hole,  and  found  himself  standing  in  a  little  cave 
lighted  by  tallow  candles,  with  Big  Sam  McNelly 
shaking  one  hand  as  if  he  wished  to  jerk  the  arm 
from  his  shoulder,  and  Long  Bill,  the  hunter,  shak- 
ing the  other,  and  Trav  and  his  father  standing 
near  grinning.  Then,  for  a  few  minutes,  that  little 
room  in  the  rock  fairly  buzzed  with  words  and  ex- 
cited exclamations,  while  all  tried  to  talk  at  once; 
but  at  length  the  excitement  quieted  down  suffi- 
ciently for  Trav  and  Tom  to  tell  their  story  and  to 
listen  to  that  of  their  fathers  and  Long  Bill. 

The  men  had  heard  of  the  massacre  of  Fannin 
and  his  army,  and  had  supposed  that  Trav  and  Tom 
had  been  murdered  along  with  the  others.  Conse- 
quently you  can  imagine  their  surprise  and  joy, 
when  the  man  Big  Sam  McNelly  pulled  into  the 
cave,  thinking  he  had  captured  a  Mexican,  turned 
our  to  be  Trav,  and  how  swiftly  Tom's  father  had 
hurried  out  to  him  the  moment  he  knew  that  the  boy 
was  outside. 

361 


362          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford  and  Long  Bill 
had  been  cpnstantly  on  the  trail  of  the  illusive  Vas- 
quez ;  but  so  cunningly  had  the  rascal  concealed  his 
movements  that  it  was  not  until  some  five  days  be- 
fore that  they  had  acquired  definite  knowledge  of 
his  whereabouts.  Then  they  learned  that  he  and 
Big  Ike  had  left  Goliad,  taking  Kitty  and  her  mother 
with  them,  bound  for  the  army  of  Santa  Anna,  and 
going  under  the  protection  of  General  Cos,  who  had 
been  ordered  to  join  Santa  Anna  with  five  hun- 
dred men.  Since  then  they  had  been  doggedly  fol- 
lowing the  army  of  General  Cos,  vainly  hoping  for 
an  opportunity  to  rescue  Kitty  and  her  mother.  It 
was  this  army  of  General  Cos  that  the  boys  had 
seen  camped  on  the  plains  beyond  the  rock  on  the 
hilltop;  and,  doubtless,  it  was  a  detachment  of  his 
cavalry,  hurrying  to  overtake  him,  that  had  come  so 
near  to  running  them  into  a  trap,  from  which 
there  appeared  no  escape  until  the  startling  wolf- 
hole  episode  occurred  that  had  so  nearly  frightened 
the  wits  out  of  the  two  lads. 

"But  how,  how  in  the  world  did  you  find  this 
wonderful  cave?"  and  Trav's  eyes  circled  the  little 
rock-cavern  in  wonder.  "How  did  you  know  that 
wolf  hole  led  into  such  a  place  as  this?" 

"We  didn't  know,"  and  Big  Sam  McNelly 
laughed,  "until  Long  Bill  here  told  us.  We're  right 
in  the  midst  of  his  old  hunting-grounds,  where  he 
has  hunted  and  trapped  for  years;  and  once,  when 
close  chased  by  Indians  and  seeing  that  the  hole 


The  Message  in  the  Knife  Sheath       363 

looked  big  enough  to  crawl  into,  he  dove  into  it  and 
kept  on  crawling  until  he  tumbled  into  the  cave, 
same  as  Tom  did.  Well,  he  fooled  the  Indians  good 
and  plenty  and  found  the  slickest  hiding-place  in  all 
Texas.  Since  then  he's  always  kept  the  cave  pro- 
visioned and  ready  for  use  in  case  of  need ;  and  last 
night  when  he  found  General  Cos  had  camped  near 
the  cave,  why  he  just  naturally  told  us  about  it,  and 
we  crawled  right  in  here,  where  we've  been  as  safe 
and  as  snug  as  a  bug  in  a  rug.  Of  course  there's 
to  be  no  telling  anybody  else  about  this  cave,  except 
as  a  last  resort.  That's  in  the  agreement." 

Trav  and  Tom  promptly  sanctioned  this  agree- 
ment; and  now,  for  the  first  time,  their  eyes  had 
leisure  to  carefully  examine  their  surroundings. 
The  cave  was  about  seven  feet  high  and  some  twelve 
feet  long  by  ten  feet  wide,  just  a  jagged  hole  in  the 
great  rock  that  outcropped  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  and  which  in  the  course  of  time  had  been  buried 
underneath  the  accumulating  dirt  of  the  centuries 
and  had  remained  hidden  from  all  eyes,  until  a  for- 
tunate wolf  or  other  large  animal,  in  digging  a  hole, 
had  discovered  it. 

Long  Bill  had  furnished  the  cave  with  blankets, 
dried  meat  and  coffee  and  sugar,  and  also,  with  a 
couple  of  good  rifles  and  an  abundance  of  ammuni- 
tion. The  rifles  were  at  once  turned  over  to  Trav 
and  Tom,  to  their  very  great  delight  and  satisfac- 
tion. A  rude  but  strong  door  at  the  entrance  to  the 
cave  kept  out  all  wild  animals,  when  the  cave  was 


364          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

unoccupied,  while  the  skin  curtain,  when  the  cave 
was  in  use,  stopped  the  light  from  showing  outside. 

After  the  hungry  boys  had  eaten  bountifully  of 
the  meal  Long  Bill  had  at  once  prepared  for  them, 
they  were  told  to  lie  down  on  the  blankets  in  a  cor- 
ner of  the  cave  and  go  to  sleep,  that  nothing  could 
be  done  now  but  to  follow  General  Cos  and  that  it 
would  probably  be  four  or  five  hours  before  the 
Mexicans  would  be  far  enough  away  for  it  to  be 
safe  to  venture  after  them.  Trav  and  Tom,  who 
were  as  tired  and  sleepy,  now  that  their  hunger  had 
been  appeased  and  all  immediate  danger  passed,  as 
two  boys  could  very  well  be,  most  gladly  availed 
themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  get  the  rest  they 
so  badly  needed,  and,  in  a  very  few  minutes,  were 
sound  asleep  on  the  blankets. 

Not  until  near  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when 
Long  Bill,  who  had  been  out  scouting,  reported  the 
coast  clear  and  time  to  be  again  on  the  trail,  did 
Sam  McNelly  awake  Trav  and  Tom.  Ten  minutes 
later  all  were  ready  to  leave  the  cave,  that,  to  the 
boys  at  least,  had  proven  such  a  blessed  haven  of 
refuge. 

Sam  McNelly  crawled  out  through  the  hole  first. 
He  was  followed  by  the  two  boys  and  Jonas,  Long 
Bill  coming  last  in  order  that  he  might  put  out  the 
candles  and  close  the  door  of  his  unique  hiding- 
place. 

Not  a  Mexican  was  in  sight  when  they  all  stood 
on  top  of  the  ground  again ;  but  there  were  plenty 


The  Message  in  the  Knife  Sheath       365 

of  signs  to  show  that  a  large  number  of  them  had 
stopped  for  some  time  near  the  big  rock,  for  the 
ground  all  around  the  rock  was  cut  up  by  the  hoofs 
of  their  horses,  as  Trav  and  Tom  noticed  with  a 
shudder  and  a  backward  glance  of  thankfulness 
toward  the  wolf-hole  opening  to  the  cave. 

There  was  no  difficulty  whatever  in  following  the 
trail  of  General  Cos  and  his  army,  for  it  was  as  plain 
as  a  beaten  wagon  road;  and  our  friends  hurried 
swiftly  along,  their  keen  eyes  constantly  searching 
the  surrounding  country  for  the  enemy  and  ever  on 
the  lookout  for  some  sign  that  might  tell  them  some- 
thing of  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty,  a  torn  piece  of 
dress,  a  button,  a  pocket  trinket — anything  that  the 
brave  woman  could  leave  behind  without  awakening 
the  suspicions  of  her  captors,  to  show  her  friends, 
should  they  be  following,  that  they  were  on  the  right 
trail.  Twice  Sam  McNelly  had  found  such  evi- 
dences of  her  shrewdness.  Once  it  was  a  piece  of 
Kitty's  dress,  deftly  tied  to  a  bush  near  where  the 
Mexicans  had  camped;  and  only  the  day  before  he 
had  found  a  couple  of  peculiarly-shaped  buttons, 
strung  on  a  buckskin  thong,  in  a  discarded  broken 
camp-kettle.  The  piece  of  cloth  he  knew  had  come 
from  Kitty's  dress,  because  he  had  seen  her  mother 
weave  it;  and  the  buttons  he  had  bought  himself 
for  Mrs.  McNelly.  So  he  felt  well  assured  that 
Vasquez  and  his  prisoners  were  still  with  General 
Cos  and  his  army. 

A  little  while  before  sundown  they  came  to  where 


366          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

General  Cos  had  halted  his  army  for  the  noon-day 
meal ;  and  here  Trav  found*  an  old  leather  knife- 
sheath  thrust  between  two  stones.  He  picked  it  up 
and  examined  it  eagerly.  Anything  might  contain 
a  message  from  the  loved  ones.  But  his  examina- 
tion revealed  nothing,  and  he  threw  the  sheath 
down  impatiently.  The  sheath  struck  one  of  the 
stones  and  the  jar  knocked  a  crumpled  piece  of 
coarse  paper  out  of  it.  Trav  grabbed  the  piece  of 
paper,  smoothed  it  out,  and  gave  a  glad  shout  that 
brought  all  the  others  to  him  on  the  jump. 

"It's  from  mother!"  he  cried.  "It's  from 
mother!"  and  he  kissed  the  crumpled  bit  of  paper 
in  his  hand.  "Hurrah,  it's  from  mother !" 

"But  what  does  it  say  ?  Read  it,"  and  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly  caught  hold  of  his  arm  and  looked  anxiously 
at  the  paper.  "Stop  your  dancing  and  read  it." 

The  paper  was  some  six  inches  square,  and  on 
one  side  of  it  had  been  written  with  a  bit  of  charred 
coal  these  words: 

"To  the  one  finding  this. 

"My  little  daughter  and  I  are  held 
captives  by  a  Mexican  named  Vas- 
quez.  He  is  taking  us  to  Santa  Anna 
to  get  his  permission  to  take  us  to 
Mexico,  where  he  expects  to  treat  us 
like  slaves.  I  implore  anyone  who 
finds  this  to  do  everything  possible  to 


The  Message  in  the  Knife  Sheath       367 

rescue  us,  and  beg  him  for  the  sake 
of  the  mother  or  wife  or  daughter 
that  he  loves,  to  get  word  to  Samuel 
McNelly,  my  husband.  General  Cos 
is  on  his  way  to  join  the  forces  of 
Santa  Anna,  and  Vasquez  goes  with 
him  for  the  protection  of  his  army. 
We  are  in  no  great  danger  while  with 
the  army  of  General  Cos ;  but,  heaven 
help  us,  if  Vasquez  once  gets  us  to 
Mexico. 

"—  JANE  McNELLY/' 

When  Trav  finished  reading  the  above  words 
there  was  a  look  of  relief  on  all  the  anxious  faces 
around  him.  It  assured  them  that  Kitty  and  her 
mother  were  in  no  serious  danger,  just  at  present, 
and  that  they  were  following  the  right  trail — the 
best  of  news  under  the  circumstances. 

"I  reckon  there  is  nothing  else  for  us  to  do,"  and 
Sam  McNelly's  eyes  searched  the  circle  of  surround- 
ing faces,  "but  to  keep  on  following  the  trail,  until 
General  Cos  unites  with  Santa  Anna;  and  then — 
well,  Kitty  and  her  mother  won't  go  to  Mexico  along 
with  that  skunk,  Vasquez,"  and  Sam  McNelly's  face 
hardened  and  his  eyes  glinted  savagely,  "not  while 
Sam  McNelly  is  a-top  the  ground." 

"I'm  with  you  there,  Sam,"  and  Jonas  Gifford 
gripped  Sam  McNelly's  hand  and  shook  it  warmly. 
"The  good  Lord  will  surely  show  us  a  way  to  get 


368  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  out  of  that  villain's 
clutches.  Never  fear,  Sam,  'twill  come  out  all  right 
in  the  end." 

"An'  I'm  thinkin'  Santa  Anna  won't  git  out  of 
Texas  afore  old  Sam  Houston  gits  after  him,"  Long 
Bill  declared.  "An'  when  he  does  thar'll  be  some 
Mexican  fur  flyin',  or  I  don't  know  Gineral  Sam. 
I'm  figgerin'  on  somethin'  happenin'  afore  long  now. 
Them  Mexies  are  gettin'  a  long  way  from  home,  an' 
I  reckon  Gineral  Sam's  got  a  surprise  party  waitin' 
for  'em  somewhar  up  his  sleeve.  Then'll  be  th' 
time  for  us  tew  git  after  this  Vasquez,  tooth  and 
nail,  when  thar  ain't  a  hull  army  of  Mexies  around 
him.  But,  we'd  better  be  a-joggin'  along,"  and  he 
glanced  impatiently  toward  the  trail  of  the  Mexican 
army,  "or  we'll  be  late  tew  supper  tew-night." 

Sam  McNelly  was  right.  There  was  nothing  our 
friends  could  do  but  follow  the  trail  of  the  army  of 
General  Cos,  and  see  that  they  did  not  get  caught 
themselves,  and  be  ready  to  act  when  the  time  for 
acting, came.  The  odds  of  three  men  and  two  boys 
against  five  hundred  Mexican  soldiers  were  too 
great;  and  there  was  little  likelihood  of  Vasquez, 
under  such  circumstances,  giving  them  an  opportu- 
nity to  rescue  Kitty  and  her  mother,  so  they  were 
forced  to  be  content  to  keep  vigilant  eyes  on  the 
Mexican  army  and  to  follow  as  close  behind  it  as 
they  dared. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  TWO   HORSEMEN 

country  through  which  the  army  of  General 
Cos  was  now  marching  was,  for  the  most  part, 
a  roadless  and  bridgeless  wilderness  of  hills  and 
plains  and  forests  and  rivers  and  canebrakes,  where 
every  settler's  cabin  had  been  abandoned  and  every 
town  and  cluster  of  houses  deserted  by  the  terrified 
inhabitants.  Consequently  the  progress  of  the  army 
was  slow,  and  it  was  not  until  some  two  weeks  after 
the  union  of  Trav  and  Tom  with  their  fathers  that 
General  Cos  crossed  the  Brazos  River  and  hurried 
on  toward  Harrisburg,  near  which  place  he  ex- 
pected to  find  Santa  Anna  and  his  army. 

During  all  this  time  our  friends  had  not  relaxed 
their  vigilant  watchfulness  for  a  moment ;  but  noth- 
ing had  occurred  to  reward  their  efforts,  so  closely 
and  securely  were  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  guarded 
in  the  midst  of  those  five  hundred  soldiers,  nor  had 
they  been  able  to  find  any  other  token  or  message 
from  the  prisoners,  since  Trav  found  the  paper  in 
the  knife  sheath.  Still  they  felt  sure  that  Mrs.  Mc- 
Nelly and  Kitty  were  with  the  army  of  General  Cos ; 
but  their  inability  to  do  anything  to  help  them,  to 
even  let  them  know  that  they  were  trying  to  effect 

369 


370  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

their  rescue,  and  the  suspense  and  anxiety  of  it  all 
had  been  particularly  wearing  on  Trav  and  his  fa- 
ther, who  were  fast  becoming  desperate  and  were 
restrained  from  making  some  perilous  venture  into 
the  camp  of  the  Mexicans  only  by  the  wiser  counsel 
of  their  comrades. 

So  far  they  had  not  met  a  single  Texan,  and  had 
had  no  news  of  how  the  war  was  going  in  Texas. 
The  army  of  General  Cos  had  driven  everyone 
friendly  to  Texas  far  from  its  route,  leaving  only 
the  buzzards  and  the  wolves  and  our  friends  in  their 
wake.  Consequently,  when  on  the  morning  of  the 
twentieth  of  April,  the  day  after  they  had  crossed 
the  Brazos,  they  saw  a  couple  of  men  on  horseback 
ride  out  of  one  of  the  islands,  or  "motts"  of  timber 
that  dotted  the  plain,  half  a  mile  to  the  north,  and 
gallop  swiftly  and  fearlessly  toward  them,  they  in- 
stantly concluded  they  were  friends. 

"They  are  Texans,  they  must  be  Texans,"  cried 
Trav,  as  the  excited  lad  watched  the  advancing 
horsemen,  "or  they  would  not  dare  to  gallop  toward 
us  like  that." 

"Sure  they're  Texans/'  Long  Bill  answered  a 
bit  scornfully.  "No  Mexican  ever  sat  a  saddle  like 
them  two  riders." 

"Hurrah,  now  we  shall  hear  what  has  been  hap- 
pening in  Texas!"  shouted  Tom.  "Hope  they've 
licked  Santa  Anna  out  of  his  boots." 

In  the  meantime  the  two  riders  had  been  coming 
rapidly  nearer.  Now  they  were  so  close  that  the 


The  Two  Horsemen  371 

features  of  the  two  men  could  be  distinguished,  and 
Long  Bill  gave  a  glad  shout. 

"Deaf  Smith,  as  sure  as  I  am  a  horned  sinner !"  he 
yelled,  and,  striking  his  spurs  into  his  horse,  he  gal- 
loped swiftly  toward  the  small,  bronze-skinned  man 
who  rode  a  few  feet  in  advance  of  his  companion. 

"Jed  Watkins!  It's  Jed  Watkins!"  cried  Trav, 
almost  at  the  same  moment,  as  he  caught  a  clear 
view  of  the  face  of  the  second  horseman.  "Hurrah, 
the  Mexicans  didn't  get  you  after  all !"  and  he  and 
Tom  raced  their  horses  to  see  who  would  first  grip 
the  honest  hand  of  the  old  hunter. 

Ten  minutes  later  they  were  all  gathered  around 
Deaf  Smith,  who  sat  on  a  large  stone,  listening  to 
what  had  been  happening  in  Texas  during  the  past 
two  or  three  weeks.  Words  with  Deaf  Smith  were 
as  valuable  as  bullets.  He  never  wasted  either, 
when  he  could  help  it.  And  in  another  ten  minutes 
he  had  told  how  General  Houston  and  his  little 
army  had  slowly  retreated  from  Gonzales  before 
the  advancing  forces  of  Santa  Anna,  until  now  both 
armies  had  crossed  the  Brazos. 

"But/'  interrupted  Sam  McNelly  at  this  point  ex- 
citedly, "didn't  Sam  Houston  do  nothing  to  try  to 
stop  the  Mexicans.  He  didn't  give  Santa  Anna  free 
passage  half  way  across  Texas  without  so  much  as 
firing  off  a  gun  to  stop  him,  did  he  ?" 

"That's  jest  what  he  did,"  was  Deaf  Smith's  la- 
conic reply. 

"Tain't  like  Sam  Houston.     'Taint  like  Sam 


372          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Houston.  I  don't  understand  such  actions  in  Gen- 
eral Sam  Houston,"  muttered  Sam  McNelly  indig- 
nantly. 

"You  ain't  th'  only  one  that  don't  understand  his 
not  wantin'  tew  fight  th'  Mexies  afore,"  Deaf  Smith 
replied.  "There's  been  some  mighty  hard  talk 
'mong  th'  men,  'mountin'  almost  tew  mutiny.  How- 
somever,  spite  of  it  all,  General  Houston  has  kept 
his  own  counsel,  an'  kept  retreatin';  but  now,"  and 
the  leathery  face  of  the  old  scout  hardened  and  his 
eyes  lighted,  "I  reckon  he's  got  Santa  Anna  'bout 
where  he  wants  him,  an'  there's  goin'  tew  be  a  fight. 
Th'  men  are  mighty  riled  over  th'  butcheries  at  th' 
Alamo  an'  Goliad,  an'  jest  spilin'  tew  get  at  th'  Mex- 


icans." 


"Whar  is  Gineral  Houston  an'  his  army  now?" 
demanded  Long  Bill  eagerly.  "I  knowed  Gineral 
Sam  had  somethin'  up  his  sleeve  that  he'd  show  up 
when  th'  proper  time  came." 

"They're  hoofin'  it  fast  as  legs  can  take  'em  for 
Lynch's  Ferry  at  th'  junction  of  Buffalo  Bayou  with 
th'  San  Jacinto,  tew  get  there  afore  Santa  Anna 


comes." 


"How  far  is  that  from  here?" 

"  'Bout  twenty-five  miles." 

"I  move,"  and  Long  Bill  glanced  anxiously 
around  the  circle  of  interested  faces,  "that  we  strike 
straight  for  Gineral  Houston  'long  with  Deaf 
Smith.  We  can't  make  no  rescue  of  th'  woman  an* 
gal  until  we've  licked  th'  Mexican  army  an'  got  that 


The  Two  Horsemen 

Vasquez  whar  we  can  git  at  him,  an'  seein'  that  he's 
bound  tew  be  with  Santa  Anna  when  th'  fight  takes 
place,  seems  tew  me  that's  the  place  for  us  tew  be. 
Leastwise  I'm  mighty  anxious  tew  be  in  that  scrim 
mage.  Thar  was  some  scores  made  at  th'  Alamo 
an*  Goliad  that  I  want  tew  settle,"  and  his  eyes 
glinted  savagely. 

Long  Bill's  suggestion  was  promptly  accepted  by 
all,  as  the  wisest  thing  to  do  under  the  circum- 
stances ;  and  half  an  hour  later  our  friends  were  ac- 
companying Deaf  Smith  on  his  way  back  to  the 
army  of  General  Houston,  who  had  sent  him  out  the 
day  before  to  discover  if  any  reinforcements  were 
advancing  to  the  aid  of  Santa  Anna.  Now,  of 
course,  the  scout  must  hasten  back  at  once  to  his 
general  to  report  the  advance  of  General  Cos. 

Jed  Watkins,  like  the  boys,  had  not  been  hit  by 
the  Mexican  bullets  in  that  fatal  volley  fired  at  Go- 
liad ;  and  had  jumped  through  the  brush,  leaped  the 
ditch,  and  ran  across  the  prairie  beyond,  making 
straight  for  a  stream  of  water  that  flowed  within 
half  a  mile  of  where  the  massacre  occurred.  For- 
tunately he  reached  the  water  well  ahead  of  the 
pursuing  Mexicans,  and  was  about  to  spring  into  it 
and  swim  to  the  opposite  side,  when  his  eyes  caught 
sight  of  a  huge  log  a  couple  of  rods  away,  lying 
across  the  stream  half  buried  in  the  water.  In  an- 
other instant  he  had  reached  the  log  and  was  run- 
ning across  it,  when  a  kind  fate  caused  his  foot  to 
slip,  and  he  fell  into  the  water.  When  he  rose  to 


374          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  surface  he  was  under  the  log,  which,  to  his  sur- 
prise, he  found  was  hollow,  with  its  lower  side  partly 
worn  away  by  the  action  of  the  water,  leaving  an 
opening  large  enough  for  him  to  crawl  into,  a  bit  of 
good  fortune  that  he  at  once  proceeded  to  utilize  by 
crawling  up  into  the  log  until  he  was  safely  hidden 
within.  He  heard  the  feet  of  the  pursuing  Mex- 
icans hurrying  across  the  log  above  his  head;  but 
they  were  unable  to  discover  his  hiding-place  and 
he  remained  there  safely  concealed  until  night, 
when,  like  the  boys,  he  had  fled  eastward,  and  a 
week  before  had  reached  the  army  of  General  Hous- 
ton, where  he  had  been  detailed  for  scouting  service 
under  Deaf  Smith,  Houston's  chief  of  scouts,  and 
had  ridden  out  with  him  on  the  present  scout. 

All  this  Jed  Watkins  related  to  the  boys  on  their 
way  to  the  Texan  army,  which  they  found,  about  an 
hour  after  sundown  that  night,  camped  in  a  little 
grove  of  live-oaks  on  the  banks  of  the  Buffalo 
Bayou,  half  a  mile  from  its  junction  with  the  San 
Jacinto  River. 

"Santa  Anna  has  come !  Santa  Anna  has  come !" 
were  the  words  that  greeted  them  from  every  side 
as  they  entered  the  Texan  camp  and  hurried  to  Gen- 
eral Houston;  and  everywhere,  as  they  passed 
through  the  ranks  of  the  little  army,  they  looked 
into  fiercely  exultant  faces,  for  the  thought  of  ven- 
geance for  the  butcheries  of  the  Alamo  and  Goliad 
was  hot  in  every  heart,  now  that  at  last  they  had 
Santa  Anna  and  his  army  within  battle-grip. 


The  Two  Horsemen  375 

General  Houston  sat  on  a  coil  of  the  artillery 
rope  underneath  an  old  oak  tree,  heavily  festooned 
with  weeping  Spanish  moss.  A  camp-fire  glowed 
ruddily  a  few  feet  away,  and  the  light,  falling  on 
his  rugged  features,  showed  plainly  the  effects  of 
the  unremitting  toil  and  the  ceaseless  anxiety  of 
the  past  month;  but  the  same  indomitable  courage 
and  resolution  as  of  old  looked  out  of  the  piercing 
eyes.  The  moment  he  saw  Deaf  Smith  he  sprang 
to  his  feet. 

"Your  report,"  and  he  motioned  to  the  scout  to 
approach. 

General  Houston's  eyes  flashed  beneath  their 
frowning  brows  and  his  strong  mouth  closed  firmly, 
when  Deaf  Smith  told  him  of  the  approach  of  Gen- 
eral Cos  and  his  five  hundred  men. 

"The  Mexicans  will  outnumber  us  nearly  three  to 
one,"  he  said;  "but  the  thought  of  the  Alamo,  of 
Goliad,  of  bleeding  Texas,  will  nerve  every  Texan 
with  the  courage  and  the  strength  of  a  demigod. 
Still,  the  men  had  better  not  know  of  the  coming  of 
General  Cos.  Tell  no  one  what  you  have  told  me," 
and,  dismissing  the  faithful  scout,  he  turned  to 
where  Trav  and  Tom  and  their  fathers  stood  wait- 
ing a  little  distance  away. 

"Big  Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford  and  their 
boys,  as  I  live!"  and  his  somber  face  lighted  up. 
"This  is  a  splendid  sight  for  my  eyes.  I  was  told 
the  Mexicans  got  you  all  at  Goliad.  But  here  you 
are,  big  as  life,  and  prepared  to  fight  the  whole 


376  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Mexican  army,"  and  he  gripped  each  by  the  hand 
and  shook  it  warmly. 

"But,  will  there  be  a  battle,  General,"  and  Trav 
looked  up  eagerly  into  General  Houston's  face. 
"Not  that  I  am  anxious  to  see  men  killed,"  he  added 
hastily.  "I've  seen  enough  of  that  to  last  me  a  life- 
time. But  mother  and  Kitty  are  with  the  Mex- 
ican army,  and  if  we  can  beat  Santa  Anna,  then 
we  can  rescue  them,  and — and  even  up  scores  with 
Vasquez,"  and  his  young  face  hardened. 

"My  boy,"  and  General  Houston  laid  his  hand  on 
Trav's  shoulder,  "I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  your 
mother  and  sister  are  still  in  the  hands  of  that  cow- 
ardly Mexican.  But,"  and  his  face  sobered,  "to- 
morrow there  will  be  many  long  scores  settled,  and 
I  sincerely  hope  that  yours  will  be  among  the  num- 
ber, that  to-morrow's  setting  sun  will  find  your 
loved  ones  safely  restored  to  your  arms.  Believe 
me,"  and  he  turned  with  a  bow  to  Sam  McNelly, 
"anything  that  I  can  do  to  aid  you  in  their  rescue, 
will  be  done  most  willingly.  But  now  I  have  much 
to  do,  and  must  bid  you  good  night.  Make  your- 
selves as  comfortable  as  possible  and  get  all  the  rest 
you  can,  for  to-morrow  I  fear  will  be  a  very  stren- 
uous day  for  us  all,"  and  General  Houston,  signify- 
ing that  the  interview  was  ended,  turned  to  a  group 
of  his  officers,  who  were  standing  near. 

Trav  and  Tom  never  forgot  that  night.  There 
were  too  many  things  to  impress  it  indelibly  on 
their  memories.  The  camp-fires  twinkling  ruddily 


The  Two  Horsemen  377 

under  the  ghostly,  moss-shrouded  live-oaks;  the 
groups  of  stern-faced,  fierce-eyed  men  gathered 
round  each  glowing  bed  of  coals,  examining  their 
weapons  and  speaking  in  low  tones  of  the  terrible 
expectancy  of  the  to-morrow ;  the  thought  of  what 
that  to-morrow  might  bring  to  some  of  them — to  all 
of  them;  the  mysterious  something,  not  seen  but 
felt,  that  seemed  to  pervade  the  very  air  they 
breathed  with  a  feeling  that  by  the  side  of  every 
grim-faced  Texan  stalked  an  avenging  Nemesis, 
ready  to  nerve  heart  and  hand  on  the  morrow — the 
ghosts  of  the  dead,  the  dead  butchered  at  the  Alamo 
and  at  Goliad — these  things  and  feelings  burned 
that  night  into  their  memories,  as  with  a  red-hot 
iron. 

"I — I  know  it  can't  be  true,"  Tom  said  in  an  awed 
whisper,  as,  at  last,  he  stretched  himself  out  on  his 
blanket  by  the  side  of  Trav  to  sleep,  if  possible,  "but 
somehow,  I  feel  as  if  the  spirits  of  Davy  Crockett 
and  Travis  and  Bowie  and  Fannin  and  the  other 
brave  men  murdered  at  the  Alamo  and  at  Goliad 
walked  about  the  camp  to-night  and  stood  by  the 
sides  of  the  men/'  and  he  shuddered  and  snuggled 
up  closer  under  his  blanket  to  Trav.  "I — I  heard 
one  of  the  men  say  that  he  knew  we  would  lick  the 
Mexicans  to-morrow,  because  the  dead  would  fight 
with  us." 

"I  don't  care  who  fights  with  us,  if  we  only  lick 
the  Mexicans,"  Trav  responded  grimly.  "I  don't 
feel  as  if  I  could  live  another  day  without  doing 


378  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

something  to  rescue  mother  and  Kitty  and  even 
things  up  with  Vasquez.  Now  I'm  going  to  try  to 
go  to  sleep,"  and  he  rolled  over  and  resolutely 
closed  his  eyes. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

) 

THE  STRONG   SHARP  AXES 

THE  morning  of  April  21,  1836 — a  memorable 
date  in  Texan  history,  in  the  history  of 
America,  for  it  gave  to  Anglo-American  civiliza- 
tion an  empire— dawned  bright  and  cloudless. 
Trav  and  Tom  jumped  out  of  their  blankets  at 
the  first  beat  of  the  three  taps  on  the  one  drum  in  the 
army,  with  which  Houston  was  wont  to  sound  the 
reveille,  and  looked  eagerly  around.  Men  were 
springing  up  from  the  ground  in  every  direction — 
there  were  no  laggards  on  that  morning;  and  soon 
the  air  was  a-buzz  with  the  soldiery-hum  of  an 
armed  camp.  The  breakfast  was  hurriedly  pre- 
pared and  eaten;  and  then  began  the  preparations 
for  the  battle  all  felt  to  be  imminent.  Rifles  were 
again  carefully  examined,  powder-horns  and  bullet- 
pouches  filled,  bowie-knives  sharpened,  and  every 
weapon  made  ready  for  instant  and  effective  use. 
Then  the  soldiers  waited,  arms  in  hands,  waited 
impatiently  for  the  fight  to  begin. 

Trav  and  Tom  were  tremendously  excited;  for 
they  felt  that  not  only  their  own  lives,  but  also  the 
lives  of  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty,  ay,  more,  the  life 
of  Texas  herself,  all  depended  on  the  outcome  of 

379 


380  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

that  day's  battle — events  sufficiently  important  to 
cause  any  boy  with  a  heart  and  red  blood  in  him 
tremendous  excitement.  The  moment  their  break- 
fast was  eaten  they  were  on  their  feet,  anxious  to 
see  everything  that  was  going  on. 

"Let  us  go  where  General  Houston  is,"  Trav 
whispered  to  Tom,  as  the  two  boys  stood  side  by 
side  staring  excitedly  around  at  the  hurrying  forms 
of  the  men.  Somehow  it  did  not  seem  the  right 
thing  to  do  to  speak  aloud  in  that  surcharged  atmos- 
phere of  suppressed  excitement  and  suspense. 
"The  men  are  all  ready.  Everything  depends  now 
on  him.  If  we  keep  near  him  we  will  be  sure  to 
know  what  is  going  on,  and  be  ready  for  the  fight 
when  it  comes." 

"Yes,  let  us  go  to  Houston,"  Tom  replied.  "Oh, 
I  do  hope  we  will  lick  the  Mexicans !  It  would  be 
terrible,  if — if  what  happened  at  the  Alamo  and 
at  Goliad  should  again  happen  here.  But  it  won't. 
It  can't,  with  General  Sam  Houston  in  command." 

The  drum  had  been  sounded  before  the  first  red 
of  the  coming  dawn  had  brightened  the  east,  and 
the  shadows  of  night  still  lay  under  the  thick,  over- 
hanging branches  of  the  trees  as  the  boys  made 
their  way  to  the  general's  headquarters — a  huge 
moss-hung  oak  near  the  center  of  the  camp.  He 
had  no  tent,  no  bed,  this  heroic  general  of  an  army 
of  ragged  heroes. 

"Sh-h-h-h !"  and  Trav  stopped  suddenly,  when  a 
rod  away  from  the  trunk  of  the  great  oak,  and 


The  Strong  Sharp  Axes  381 

pointed  to  the  ground  underneath  the  tree.  "Look 
there!" 

A  few  feet  away  the  coals  of  a  camp-fire  glowed 
ruddily  and  shone  redly  on  the  form  of  General 
Houston,  stretched  out  on  his  blanket  on  the  ground, 
his  head  pillowed  on  a  coil  of  the  rope  used  in 
dragging  the  cannon,  his  old  white  hat  partly  shad- 
ing his  face,  and  his  eyes  closed  in  a  deep  and 
peaceful  sleep. 

For  a  few  minutes  the  two  boys  stood  staring 
in  wonder  at  this  remarkable  scene — the  general 
peacefully  sleeping  while  his  army  was  preparing 
for  desperate  battle;  and  then  slowly  its  deep  sig- 
nificance began  to  dawn  upon  them. 

"He  couldn't  sleep  like  that,  if  he  did  not  feel 
sure  of  victory,"  Tom  whispered.  "See,  he  is  smil- 
ing !  I  know  he  is  dreaming  of  victory  by  the  way 
his  face  lights  up/' 

"Makes  a  fellow  feel  more  courageous  and  con- 
fident just  to  look  at  him  quietly  sleeping  there," 
and  Trav's  eyes  shone.  "There's  not  another  man 
in  the  army  could  sleep  like  that,  with  the  thought 
of  what  is  to  come  for  a  bedfellow.  Let  us  go 
over  and  sit  down  on  that  log  and  wait  until  he 
wakes  up,"  and  he  indicated  a  log  lying  on  the 
ground  a  couple  of  rods  away. 

Nor  were  the  two  boys  the  only  ones  who  seemed 
to  drink  in  new  courage  and  confidence  from  the 
sight  of  the  sleeping  general.  From  the  log  they 
saw  man  after  man  pause  for  a  moment  to  look 


382  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

at  the  calm,  courageous  face,  and  then  pass  on  with 
a  brighter  light  shining  from  his  own  eyes. 

General  Houston  awoke  a  little  after  sunrise; 
and  the  boys  rejoiced  to  see  that  the  light  and  the 
smile  did  not  leave  his  face,  when  he  passed  from 
dreams  to  stern  reality.  His  officers  immediately 
gathered  around  him  and  reported  the  condition  of 
their  own  troops  and  the  position  of  the  enemy. 

Trav  and  Tom,  with  boyish  curiosity,  drew  near, 
until  they  were  only  a  few  feet  from  where  General 
Houston  stood.  The  keen  eyes  soon  saw  them, 
and  the  lips  smiled  a  welcome.  A  few  minutes 
later  he  dismissed  the  officers  and  turned  to  the 
boys. 

"I  appoint  you  my  aids-de-camp,  for  the  mo- 
ment," he  said  smiling.  "Your  duty,"  and  he 
turned  to  Tom,  "will  be  to  go  to  Colonel  Forbes, 
the  Commissary-General,  and  bid  him  come  to  me 
at  once.  And  you,"  and  his  eyes  rested  on  the  face 
of  Trav,  "will  find  Deaf  Smith,  my  chief  of  scouts, 
and  tell  him  to  report  to  me  at  once." 

Trav  and  Tom  both  saluted,  as  they  had  seen 
officers  salute  their  superior,  and  hurried  away, 
their  eyes  sparkling  with  pride.  In  fifteen  minutes 
Tom  was  back  with  Colonel  Forbes,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  later  Trav  appeared  and  reported  Deaf 
Smith  on  his  way  to  General  Houston. 

"I  want  two  strong,  sharp  axes  at  once,  Colonel 
Forbes,"  General  Houston  said.  "See  that  they  are 
here  as  speedily  as  possible." 


The  Strong  Sharp  Axes  383 

In  a  few  minutes  more  the  two  axes  were  in  his 
possession. 

When  Deaf  Smith  appeared  Houston  handed  the 
axes  to  him,  and  bade  him  conceal  them  in  a  safe 
place  near  by,  where  he  could  lay  his  hands  on  them 
quickly  at  a  moment's  notice.  Then  he  ordered  him 
to  select  a  trustworthy  companion  and  to  remain 
within  call,  in  readiness  for  special  service. 

Deaf  Smith  smiled  grimly — he  knew  that  his  gen- 
eral was  considering  some  desperate  venture,  but 
was  too  wise  to  ask  him  what  it  was — and  hurried 
away  to  find  Denmore  Reeves,  a  fellow  scout,  and 
just  the  man  to  help  him  in  any  venture,  however- 
desperate  it  might  be. 

Santa  Anna's  soldiers  numbered  more  than  dou- 
ble the  army  of  General  Houston,  and,  at  first  it 
was  thought  that  he  would  attack  the  Texans ;  but, 
when  hour  after  hour  passed  without  any  Hostile 
movement  coming  from  the  camp  of  the  Mexicans, 
Houston's  men  began  to  grow  impatient.  They 
were  there  to  fight ;  and,  if  Santa  Anna  would  not 
come  to  them,  why,  then  it  was  self-evident  that 
they  must  go  to  Santa  Anna.  Still,  General  Hous- 
ton did  not  seem  to  see  it  that  way,  and  his  men 
began  to  grumble  just  a  little. 

"I  do  wish  someone  would  do  something,"  Tom 
said,  as  he  and  Trav  stood  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
little  grove  of  live-oaks  in  which  the  Texans  were 
encamped,  looking  longingly  in  the  direction  of  the 
Mexican  camp.  "It  is  now  nine  o'clock,  and  I  don't 


384  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

believe  Santa  Anna  has  any  intention  of  attacking 
us,  and  it  begins  to  look  as  if  General  Houston 
would  not  attack  him." 

"I  don't  know,"  Trav  answered,  "but  I  feel  quite 
sure  General  Houston  has  something  all  planned 
out.  After  he  had  given  the  axes  and  his  orders 
to  Deaf  Smith,  he  called  me  to  him  and  asked  a 
lot  of  questions  about  the  army  of  General  Cos. 
He  wanted  to  know  how  many  men  General  Cos 
had,  how  fast  they  traveled,  and  how  far  from  here 
they  were  when  we  left  them.  And  when  I  had 
answered  him  as  best  I  could,  he  slapped  me  on  the 
back  and  said,  'My  boy,  my  boy,  weVe  got  the  cun- 
ning old  Mexican  fox  in  a  trap,  in  a  trap/  he  re- 
peated triumphantly.  'But  we  must  wait  until  all 
are  in  before  we  spring  it/  and  then  he  turned 
abruptly  away  from  me,  his  eyes  glowing  like — 
like  a  lion's — "  Trav  had  never  seen  a  lion,  but 
a  lion's  eyes  were  the  only  eyes  he  could  think 
of  when  he  thought  of  how  General  Houston  looked 
at  that  moment — "I  don't  know  what  he  meant  by 
the  trap,  but  I  feel  sure  he's  waiting  for  General 
Cos  to  join  Santa  Anna,  so  that  he  can  get  them 
all  in  a  bunch;  and  you  know  mother  and  Kitty 
and  Vasquez  are  with  General  Cos.  I  don't  want 
the  fight  to  begin  until  General  Cos  comes,"  and 
the  lines  on  Trav's  face  hardened.  "If  we  don't 
rescue  them  now,  I  am  afraid  we  never  can.  I — " 

"Hark!— Look,  look  there!"  Tom  interrupted 
him,  excitedly  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the 


The  Strong  Sharp  Axes  385 

Mexican  camp.  'They  are  coming!  The  Mexi- 
cans are  coming!" 

Trav  whirled  about,  and  saw  coming  over  a 
swell  of  the  prairie  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Anna's 
camp,  a  large  body  of  men,  marching  with  drums 
beating  and  colors  flying. 

"Yes,  it  is  them !  It  is  the  Mexicans !"  he  cried 
excitedly,  gripping  his  rifle  hard. 

"Now,  jest  hold  yer  hosses,"  and  Jed  Watkins, 
who  had  come  up  on  the  run  at  the  shout  that 
greeted  the  appearance  of  the  Mexicans,  turned 
to  the  excited  boys,  "an*  take  another  look  at  them 
Mexies.  They  ain't  headed  our  way.  Them's 
General  Cos  an'  his  men,  or  my  thinker  misses  fire, 
which  means  jest  so  much  more  Mexican  meat  for 
our  rifles  an'  knives,"  and  he  smiled  grimly. 

Jed  Watkins  was  right.  The  body  of  Mexicans 
who  had  so  startled  Trav  and  Tom  was  the  army 
of  General  Cos,  hurrying  to  join  Santa  Anna  in 
his  camp.  General  Houston,  fearing  that  these 
large  reinforcements  coming  to  the  aid  of  an  enemy 
already  greatly  outnumbering  his  own  men  might 
dishearten  the  Texans,  declared  that  they  were  not 
new  men,  that  it  was  just  a  Mexican  trick,  that 
Santa  Anna  had  caused  a  large  body  of  his  men  to 
march  round  the  hill  in  sight  of  the  Texans,  to  make 
them  believe  he  had  received  large  reinforcements. 
But  Trav  and  Tom  knew  that  Jed  Watkins  was  right 
— that  now  Houston's  trap  was  full ;  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  one  Texan  soldier  was  in  the  least  mislead  or 


386          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

disheartened.  Rather  their  ardor  was  increased; 
for  this  was  the  General  Cos,  General  Cuss  the 
Texans  called  him,  of  the  broken  parole  infamy,  and 
his  appearance  but  added  another  score  to  the  many 
scores  that  the  Texans  were  so  anxious  to  settle. 

Trav  and  Tom,  and  behind  them  Sam  McNelly 
and  Jonas  Gifford,  watched  these  men  until  the  last 
one  had  passed  from  sight,  with  anxiously  beating 
hearts;  for  somewhere  in  their  midst  were  Kitty 
and  her  mother — and  Vasquez.  It  was  only  the 
thought  of  Vasquez  that  kept  the  tears  from  com- 
ing into  Trav's  eyes,  as  he  thought  of  his  mother 
and  Kitty  and  of  all  that  they  must  have  suffered 
during  the  long  days  of  captivity.  Tears?  The 
heat  in  his  blood  dried  them  up  before  they  could 
get  to  his  eyes. 

Yes,  the  trap  of  General  Houston  was  now  full, 
but  still  he  made  no  move  to  spring  it;  and  the 
grumbling  among  the  men  grew  louder  and  more 
mutinous.  They  were  like  hounds  straining  at  the 
leash  in  their  eagerness  to  get  at  the  Mexicans. 

At  noon  the  officers,  noting  the  impatience  of 
the  men,  came  to  General  Houston  and  asked  that 
he  hold  a  council  of  war.  Houston  agreed,  and 
summoned  the  six  field-officers. 

"Shall  we  attack  the  enemy  in  his  position,  or 
await  his  attack  in  ours?"  was  the  question  Hous- 
ton submitted  to  the  council. 

"Attack,"  promptly  answered  the  two  junior 
officers. 


The  Strong  Sharp  Axes  387 

"No,  do  not  attack.  Wait  to  be  attacked,"  ad- 
vised the  four  seniors. 

"To  attack  veteran  troops  with  raw  militia  was 
a  thing  unheard  of/'  declared  Secretary  of  War 
Rusk,  one  of  the  four  senior  officers;  "to  charge 
upon  a  fortified  enemy  without  bayonets  in  the  open 
prairie  had  never  been  known;  our  position  is 
strong;  in  it  we  can  whip  all  Mexico." 

"We  have  but  two  hundred  bayonets  in  our 
whole  army,"  asserted  another  officer.  "It  would 
be  suicide  to  charge  twice  our  number  armed  with 
bayonets  and  behind  breastworks.  Let  us  wait 
their  attack  where  we  are/' 

General  Houston  listened  calmly  and  with  an  im- 
perturbable countenance  to  the  opinions  of  his  offi- 
cers; and  then,  without  expressing  any  opinion  of 
his  own,  quietly  dismissed  them,  and  at  once  sum- 
moned Deaf  Smith. 

Deaf  Smith  and  his  companion,  Denmore  Reeves, 
came  promptly,  their  eyes  glinting. 

"Take  the  axes  and  cut  down  Vince's  bridge," 
Houston  commanded  in  a  low  voice. 

Deaf  Smith  flashed  a  look  of  grim  understand- 
ing up  into  his  general's  face,  and  seized  the  axes. 

"You  must  hurry,"  continued  General  Houston, 
the  lines  of  his  mouth  tightening,  as  the  two  men 
started,  the  axes  over  their  saddle-bows,  "if  you 
would  be  back  in  time  for  what  is  about  to  take 
place." 

"This  looks  a  good  deal  like  a  fight,  General," 


388          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

replied  Smith,  smilingly  grimly,  and  then  he  and  his 
companion  struck  spurs  and  galloped  off. 

Now  let  us  understand  what  the  cutting  down 
of  this  Vince's  bridge  meant  to  the  armies  of  Santa 
Anna  and  General  Houston.  Both  armies,  the 
Mexican  as  well  as  the  Texan,  had  entered  a  cul- 
de-sac,  formed  by  Buffalo  Bayou  on  the  north,  San 
Jacinto  Bay  on  the  east,  marshes  and  morasses  on 
the  south,  and  Vince's  Creek,  with  its  steep  almost 
impassable  banks,  on  the  west.  There  was  but  one 
way  out  of  this  cul-de-sac  for  either  army,  and 
that  was  by  way  of  Vince's  bridge  across  Vince's 
Creek  some  eight  miles  to  the  northwest  of  where 
the  two  armies  were  encamped. 

Do  you  see  now  the  meaning  of  Houston's  order 
to  Deaf  Smith  and  Denmore  Reeves  to  cut  down 
Vince's  bridge?  It  meant,  there  was  to  be  no  re- 
treat, no  escape  from  the  victorious  army,  that  he 
had  deliberately  determined  to  conquer  or  die. 
The  supreme  confidence  and  the  sublime  courage 
of  the  man,  thus  to  destroy  his  only  means  of  es- 
cape when  he  was  about  to  face  a  trained  and  vic- 
torious army  nearly  three  times  as  large  and  much 
better  armed  and  equipped  than  his  own!  This, 
then,  was  the  trap  General  Houston  had  set  for 
Santa  Anna;  and,  alas,  for  himself,  should  he  be 
defeated. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

REMEMBER  THE  ALAMO ! 

DURING  all  this  time  the  impatience  of  Trav 
and  Tom  and  Sam  McNelly  and  Jonas  Gifford 
and  all  those  hardy  and  determined  Texans  had 
been  growing  with  every  moment's  delay.  They 
could  not  understand  why  Houston  waited,  when 
all  the  men  at  least  were  eager  for  the  attack ;  and 
he  did  not  deign  to  enlighten  them.  But  at  last 
at  half  past  three  in  the  afternoon  they  saw  order- 
lies hurrying  swiftly  from  officer  to  officer;  and 
a  moment  later  came  the  welcomed  command  to 
fall  in  line.  The  companies  were  swiftly  marched 
out  of  the  woods  and  drawn  up  in  line  on  the  open 
prairie. 

"Look,  look!"  exclaimed  Trav  excitedly,  as  com- 
pany after  company  fell  into  place.  "We  are  being 
formed  in  line  of  battle !" 

"Yes,  it  sure  is  the  Mexies  now,"  declared  Jed 
Watkins  joyously. 

Our  friends,  including  Jed  Watkins  and  Long 
Bill,  were  all  together  in  the  center  division  of  the 
little  army  of  Texans,  for  mutual  help  in  the  rescue 
of  Kitty  and  her  mother,  should  they  be  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  reach  the  camp  of  the  Mexicans.  Their 

389 


390  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

plan,  if  the  attack  should  prevail,  was  to  rush  in  a 
body  to  that  part  of  the  Mexican  camp  where  the 
prisoners  were  most  likely  to  be  kept,  in  order  to 
get  to  Kitty  and  Mrs.  McNelly,  if  possible,  before 
Vasquez  would  have  time  to  do  them  harm  or  to 
force  them  to  fly  with  him. 

Of  course  Trav  and  Tom  were  greatly  excited, 
what  boys  would  not  have  been  under  the  same 
circumstances?  But  both  lads  kept  their  excite- 
ment under  control  and  did  not  let  it  control  them, 
which,  as  all  boys  know,  is  a  difficult  thing  to  do; 
and,  when  at  four  o'clock,  General  Houston  him- 
self, mounted  on  his  war-horse,  rode  down  the  line, 
there  were  not  two  men  in  the  little  army  whose 
hands  were  steadier  than  were  the  hands  of  Trav 
and  Tom  or  whose  hearts  were  more  eager  and 
anxious  for  the  coming  fray. 

General  Houston  rode  slowly  along  the  line  of 
waiting  soldiers,  his  keen  eyes  flashing  swiftly  from 
face  to  face  underneath  his  old  white  hat  thrust 
well  back  on  his  head,  and,  stopping  almost  in  front 
of  where  Trav  and  Tom  stood,  wheeled  his  horse, 
and,  drawing  his  sword,  faced  the  little  army  of  ex- 
pectant Texans — a  picture  that  no  one  then  present 
ever  forgot.  As  fancy  imagines  one  of  those  splen- 
did hero  vikings  of  old  must  have  looked  when 
about  to  lead  his  followers  to  battle,  thus  looked 
Houston,  as  he  wheeled  his  horse  and  with  drawn 
sword  faced  his  little  army.  His  great  frame,  he 
was  over  six  feet  and  four  inches  tall,  sat  proudly 


Remember  the  Alamo!  391 

erect  in  his  saddle,  his  eyes,  always  piercing,  now 
seemed  to  glow  with  something  brighter  than  fire, 
and  his  strong  leonine  face  was  fairly  aflame  with 
the  patriotic  determination  to  make  this  the  vic- 
torious end  of  all  the  heart-breaking  weeks  that 
had  gone  before.  Like  a  demigod  sent  to  avenge 
the  wrongs  of  Texas  he  looked;  and  something  of 
this  Houston  must  have  felt,  for  it  was  his  voice 
that  sounded  the  battle-cries,  "Remember  the 
Alamo!  Remember  Goliad!  Remember  La 
Bahia !"  when  at  the  close  of  a  few  words  that  went 
to  the  heart  of  every  man  like  the  blast  of  a  war 
bugle,  he  gave  the  command  "Forward!"  and  the 
line  of  stern-faced  Texans  moved  toward  the  camp 
of  the  Mexicans. 

Between  the  two  armies  were  a  couple  of  small 
islands  of  timber,  or  "motts"  as  they  were  called, 
and,  screened  by  these,  Houston  had  formed  his 
line  of  battle  unperceived  by  the  careless  and  over- 
confident Mexicans,  who  did  not  dream  that  the 
Texans  would  dare  to  attack  them  in  their  posi- 
tion, which  they  had  already  fortified  by  construct- 
ing a  breastwork  about  five  feet  high  out  of  packs 
and  baggage.  Consequently,  when  the  Texan 
cavalry  suddenly  dashed  out  from  behind  one  of 
the  motts,  quickly  followed  by  the  infantry,  they 
were  completely  taken  by  surprise  and  thrown  into 
the  greatest  confusion.  Indeed,  Santa  Anna  him- 
self and  many  of  his  officers  were  taking  their  af- 
ternoon siesta,  and  lay  asleep  in  their  tents,  when 


392          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

the  alarm  was  given.  Exactly  what  Houston  had 
calculated  they  would  be  doing. 

"Reckon  this'll  be  th'  biggest  s'prise  party  them 
Mexies  has  had  for  more'n  a  dog's  age,"  laughed 
Jed  Watkins  jubilantly,  as  the  sounds  of  the  con- 
fusion and  alarm  in  the  Mexican  camp  reached  his 
ears. 

"We've  got  'em  sure  frightened.  Now's  th' 
time  tew  git  after  'em  like  a  house  afire.  Come 
on!"  called  back  Long  Bill,  quickening  his  pace 
into  a  run.  "Remember  th'  Alamo!  Remember 
Goliad !  Let's  wipe  th'  critters  off  th'  earth !" 

Trav  and  Tom  could  never  give  a  clear  account 
of  what  followed — no  one  could  who  took  part  in 
this  extraordinary  battle.  The  excitement,  the  tur- 
moil was  too  great  for  only  the  most  important 
happenings  to  fix  themselves  in  the  memory.  They 
heard  General  Houston  dashing  madly  up  and 
down  behind  the  lines  of  charging  Texans  and 
shouting  at  the  top  of  his  stentorian  voice :  "Hold 
your  fire !  Hold  your  fire,  boys !"  They  saw,  when 
the  furious  lines  of  on-rushing  men  were  not  more 
than  sixty  yards  from  the  enemy's  barricade,  Deaf 
Smith,  his  horse  covered  with  foam,  gallop  up  in 
front  of  the  plunging  men,  and  heard  him  yell, 
" Vince's  bridge  has  been  cut  down !  Now  you  must 
fight  for  your  lives!"  and  the  shout  of  wild  exulta- 
tion that  followed  this  announcement  rang  ju- 
bilantly in  their  ears.  They  knew  that  the  Mexi- 
cans fired  a  scattering  volley  at  them  which  went 


Remember  the  Alamo!  393 

whistling  over  their  heads,  that  the  Texan  can- 
non, the  Twin  Sisters,  knocked  a  great  hole  in  the 
flimsy  barricade,  that  once  they  paused  almost 
within  bayonet-thrust  and  fired  a  volley  point-blank 
into  the  huddled,  terror-stricken  Mexican  soldiers 
— and  then  they  were  through  the  barricade,  and 
clubbed  guns  and  bowie-knives  were  doing  dread- 
ful work  all  around  them,  while  the  air  was  filled 
with  the  avenging  yells  of,  "Remember  the  Alamo ! 
Remember  Goliad!  Remember  La  Bahia!"  and 
the  piercing  cries  of  the  dying  Mexicans.  It  was 
no  longer  a  battle :  it  had  become  a  slaughter. 

The  giant  frame  and  tremendous  muscles  of  Big 
Sam  McNelly  carried  him  through  the  ranks  of 
the  Mexicans,  like  a  lion  through  a  pack  of  snarling, 
biting  wolves.  He  had  but  one  object,  to  get  to  the 
tents  of  the  Mexicans  as  soon  as  possible;  but  one 
thought,  the  rescue  of  his  wife  and  daughter;  and 
all  who  came  between  him  and  this  went  down  like 
ninepins  before  the  blows  of  his  clubbed  rifle  and 
the  thrusts  of  his  knife.  He  was  the  deadly  point 
of  an  irresistible  wedge,  with  Jonas  Gifford  and 
Long  Bill  and  Jed  Watkins  and  Trav  and  Tom  for 
its  body,  that  pierced  its  red  way  straight  toward 
the  camp  of  the  Mexicans,  where  everything  was 
in  the  wildest  turmoil  and  confusion  of  tents  and 
baggage  and  struggling  men  and  horses. 

Suddenly  Trav  and  Tom,  who  were  not  ten  feet 
behind  Sam  McNelly,  heard  him  give  a  great  shout 
of  triumph  that  quickly  changed  to  a  cry  of  horror ; 


394  In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and,  almost  at  the  same  moment,  they  saw  Vas- 
quez  and  Big  Ike  leap  out  of  one  of  the  tents,  Mrs. 
McNelly  in  the  arms  of  the  one  and  Kitty  in  the 
arms  of  the  other,  and  race  madly  toward  a  couple 
of  horses  that  were  frantically^  struggling  to  free 
themselves  from  their  fastening.  The  horses  were 
some  twenty  rods  from  the  two  men,  and  the  two 
men  were  about  the  same  distance  from  the  Texans. 

At  the  shout  of  Sam  McNelly  Vasquez  looked 
back  and  saw  who  his  pursuers  were.  No  need  to 
tell  him  what  his  fate  would  be,  if  he  should  fall 
into  their  hands.  With  swift  eyes  he  measured  his 
chances  of  reaching  the  horses,  burdened  with  the 
weight  of  Kitty,  before  the  Texans  could  overtake 
him,  and  saw  that  the  chances  were  against  his 
doing  so.  Without  Kitty,  he  could  easily  reach  the 
horses  and  gallop  away  in  safety.  But,  to  drop 
Kitty  would  be  to  drop  her  into  the  arms  of  her 
father!  Was  there  not  another  way?  Yes;  and 
with  a  yell  of  furious  exultation,  the  cowardly  vil- 
lain stopped  suddenly,  drew  his  knife  from  its 
sheath,  hurled  the  struggling  girl  to  the  ground, 
and  raised  the  knife  above  her.  This  way  was  yet 
left  for  his  vengeance. 

It  was  the  sight  of  the  up-raised  knife  that  had 
brought  the  cry  of  horror  to  Sam  McNelly's  lips. 
His  own  rifle  was  empty.  He  knew  that  the  rifles 
of  the  others  had  all  been  fired;  and  only  a  rifle 
ball  could  reach  the  villain  in  time  to  save  Kitty. 

For  an  instant  Vasquez  paused,  to  drink  in  the 


Remember  the  Alamo!  395 

father's  cry  of  agony,  to  taste  the  sweets  of  his 
vengeance ;  and  at  that  fateful  moment  Jed  Watkins 
threw  his  long  double-barreled  rifle  to  his  shoulder 
and  fired.  The  knife  dropped  from  the  shattered, 
up-raised  hand,  and  Vasquez,  with  a  furious  yell 
of  baffled  vengeance,  darted  madly  away  toward  the 
horses,  thinking  now  only  of  saving  his  own  mis- 
erable life. 

"I  reckoned  it  might  come  in  mighty  handy  tew 
have  a  bullet  in  reserve,"  Jed  Watkins  muttered, 
as  he  leaped  forward  again.  "Sorry  I  didn't  dare 
tew  risk  a  shot  through  th'  head;  but  I'll  get  th' 
skunk  yet,"  and  he  redoubled  his  efforts  to  overtake 
Vasquez. 

In  the  meantime  Big  Ike  had  been  casting  un- 
easy glances  behind  him ;  and,  at  the  sound  of  the 
shot  and  the  yell  from  Vasquez  that  accompanied 
it,  his  courage  forsook  him,  and  he  hurled  Mrs. 
McNelly  violently  from  his  arms  and  plunged  fran- 
tically away  toward  the  horses.  In  a  couple  of 
more  minutes  he  had  reached  the  horses,  cut  the 
rope  that  held  one  of  them,  threw  himself  on  his 
back,  and  was  galloping  madly  away  when  Long 
Bill  caught  sight  of  a  rifle  that  some  Mexican  had 
thrown  down  in  his  mad  flight,  seized  it,  dropped 
on  one  knee,  and  fired  at  the  fleeing  man.  Big 
Ike  fell  forward  on  the  horse's  neck,  clung  there 
for  a  minute,  and  then  tumbled  to  the  ground,  his 
evil  career  ended. 

Vasquez  by  this  time  had  also  reached  the  horses, 


396          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

and  in  another  minute  he  had  mounted  the  remain- 
ing one  and  was  riding  frantically  away,  with  Jed 
Watkins  still  running  furiously  after  him. 

For  a  minute  Jed  Watkins  feared  that  the  villain 
might  escape  after  all — If  only  he  had  another  load 
in  his  rifle !  Then  he  stopped  suddenly ;  and,  with 
a  cry  of  horror  and  a  swiftly  whitening  face,  stared 
at  the  man  and  the  horse  struggling  in  the  soft 
ooze  of  a  morass  not  ten  rods  from  where  he  stood. 
Already  the  horse  had  sank  to  his  belly  and  was 
going  down  fast,  the  thick  viscous  black  mud  grip- 
ping the  man  and  the  beast  and  pulling  them  down 
like  a  thing  of  life. 

"God  A'mighty !  God  A'mighty  I"  and  Jed  Wat- 
kins  watched  with  awed  face  the  dreadful  scene, 
powerless  to  aid  had  he  wished  to  do  so. 

In  five  minutes  all  was  over;  and  the  black  mud 
of  one  of  the  deep  morasses  of  San  Jacinto  Bay 
had  closed  forever  over  the  black  heart  of  Andreas 
Vasquez. 

When  Jed  Watkins  returned  to  his  comrades  he 
found  Mrs.  McNelly  and  Kitty  and  Trav  all  sob- 
bing together  in  the  great  arms  of  Big  Sam  Mc- 
Nelly. 

The  battle  was  won,  had  been  won  in  fifteen 
minutes  of  some  of  the  bloodiest  fighting,  consider- 
ing the  numbers  engaged,  that  the  world  has  ever 
seen;  and  the  Texans'  vengeful  cries,  "Remember 


Remember  the  Alamo!  397 

the  Alamo!  Remember  Goliad!"  were  changed 
into  joyous  shouts  of  victory. 

Aye,  they  had  drunk  deep,  to  the  very  dregs,  of 
their  cup  of  vengeance.  They  had  annihilated  an 
army.  Six  Hundred  and  Thirty  of  the  Mexicans 
had  been  killed,  Two  Hundred  and  Eight  wounded, 
and  Seven  Hundred  and  Thirty  made  prisoners. 
Nine  Hundred  English  muskets,  Three  Hundred 
sabers,  Two  Hundred  pistols,  and  large  quantities 
of  ammunition  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  vic- 
tors. Then  there  were  Three  Hundred  mules,  One 
Hundred  horses,  much  fine  clothing,  tents  and  other 
camp  equipage,  and  Twelve  Thousand  Dollars  in 
Silver,  all  gloriously  won  spoils  of  war,  to  be  di- 
vided among  the  triumphant  Texans. 

And  all  this  had  cost  the  Texans  but  six  men 
killed  in  the  battle  and  twenty-five  wounded! 

No  wonder  the  Texans  were  drunk  with  glory 
that  night!  No  wonder  they  built  huge  bonfires, 
and,  dressed  in  the  captured  finery  of  the  Mexican 
officers,  danced  and  sang  and  yelled  and  hurrahed 
around  them,  until  weariness  compelled  them  to 
stop ! 

They  had  fought  and  won  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable battles  in  the  history  of  America;  and 
one  of  the  most  important,  when  we  consider  that 
it  gave  to  Anglo-American  civilization  all  of  that 
vast  territory  now  included  in  the  great  state  of 
Texas;  for,  when,  on  the  next  day,  the  soldiers  of 


398          In  Texas  With  Davy  Crockett 

Houston  captured  Santa  Anna  himself,  the  war 
was  ended  and  the  Spanish-Mexican  dominion  in 
Texas  forever  terminated. 

Verily  the  dead  of  the  Alamo  and  of  Goliad  had 
been  avenged! 


THE  END 


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AR   6    1940 
DEC  15  1941 


LD  21-50m-l,'3c 


YB  2006! 


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